Explained: Why Barcelona's hopes of re-signing Joao Cancelo are over despite Man City being ready to cut all ties with Portugal full-back

City have reportedly been keen to offload the full-back for a while now, and have slapped a £25 million ($31.8m) price tag on his head. The 30-year-old himself has admitted he would like to stay on at the Catalan outfit but a new development has put that move in severe jeopardy.

According to Spanish publication Sport, City want to cut all ties with the former Juventus and man and sell him outright, but Barcelona want to bring him back on loan for another season and then possibly buy him at the end of that spell. Pep Guardiola's men have reportedly received two bids from Saudi Pro League teams - but they do not have Cancelo's approval for a move to the Middle East yet. The report adds City have 'taken a stand' regarding his sale and are unlikely to budge from their position - with Barca's chances of bringing him back to the club all but over.

In April, City boss Guardiola said he would wait until the end of the 2023-24 campaign before deciding on Cancelo's future. He has not played for the Premier League side since January 2023 after falling out with the ex-Barcelona manager.

Cancelo, who spent the second half of the 2022-23 campaign on loan at Bayern Munich and then last term at Barcelona, is out of contract at City in 2027. It remains to be seen who he will play for next season.