From Spain: 154-appearance Manchester City star trying to ‘push through’ permanent transfer exit

Manchester City full-back Joao Cancelo is making renewed attempts to sign for FC Barcelona this summer.

The 30-year-old is pushing to become the third Manchester City first-team star to complete a permanent move to La Liga this summer, after Sergio Gomez joined Real Sociedad, and Julian Alvarez agreed a club-record transfer to Atletico Madrid.

Cancelo spent the 2023/24 campaign on a season-long loan at Barcelona, and hasn’t played for Manchester City since a 2-1 loss to Manchester United at Old Trafford in January 2023, as a result of a rumoured training ground bust-up.

The full-back spent the remainder of the 2022/23 season at Bayern Munich, prior to moving to the Camp Nou on Deadline Day last year, with Cancelo going on to make 42 appearances for Barcelona across La Liga and the UEFA Champions League last season.

The Portugal international has been training at the City Football Academy with the Manchester City first-team following the European Championship, but wasn’t named in the matchday squad for Saturday’s FA Community Shield win at Wembley Stadium over Manchester United.

Cancelo is contracted at Manchester City until 2027, but the defender’s exclusion from the squad for the weekend’s win suggests that the 30-year-old’s immediate future remains away from the Etihad Stadium.

Sport Witness relay claims from outlet Sport, who report that the defender is preparing to ‘exert force’ and push for a permanent move away from the Etihad Stadium in the final weeks of the summer transfer window.

The defender is reportedly hoping to return to Catalonia, and has requested that Barcelona make renewed efforts to sign him ahead of the start of the La Liga campaign.

Manchester City and Barcelona remain at a transfer impasse however, with Etihad bosses looking for a permanent solution, meanwhile Barcelona want to complete another season-long loan.