Joao Cancelo to Barcelona is back on! Man City defender agrees personal terms with La Liga champions ahead of transfer to Camp Nou

The versatile Portugal international has been heavily linked with the Catalan giants for some time, with his undoubted ability of obvious appeal to ambitious outfits around the world. Barca had been hoping to do a deal for Cancelo back in January, with it claimed that City prevented them from completing a swoop in that window.

The Blaugrana have refused to throw in the towel on Cancelo, with Fabrizio Romano claiming that agreement may now be close. Barca are said to have agreed terms on a contract with the 29-year-old – who can operate in both full-back positions – with talks taking place regarding the structure of a deal with City.

It is not yet clear how Barcelona will incorporate Cancelo into their ranks, with an initial loan agreement – similar to that which took the Portuguese to Bayern Munich in January – expected to be put in place. Said deal will include the option for a permanent transfer to be pushed through at a later date.

Barcelona are looking to use some of the funds generated from Ousmane Dembele’s impending transfer to Paris Saint-Germain to help fund their move for Cancelo. The former Benfica and Juventus star has figured for City in pre-season, but is not expected to have a long-term future at the Etihad Stadium after being offloaded to Germany by demanding coach Pep Guardiola in the winter window.