Barcelona will be hoping to finally solve their right back issue this summer, having struggled to replace Dani Alves ever since he left the club for the first time in 2016.
Since then, several players have come and gone as they have flattered to deceive in a Barcelona shirt. At present, Jules Kounde operates as first choice right back, despite his preferred position being in central defence.
One player that has been linked to Barcelona in recent months is Joao Cancelo. The Portuguese international is currently on loan at Bayern Munich from Manchester City, but he is expected to be available for transfer this summer.
Cancelo was discussed at a summit between Joan Laporta, Mateu Alemany and Jorge Mendes, the player’s agent, on Tuesday in Portugal, but it appears that he will not make the move to Catalonia this summer.
Diario AS report that Barcelona have stopped pursuing a deal for Cancelo, due to a couple of reasons. The first, unsurprisingly, is finance-related, as the club feel that he is not a viable option as they look to improve their financial situation, while also improving Xavi Hernandez’s first team squad.
Another problem that arose was Cancelo’s apparent reputation as a “conflictive player”, which dissuaded Barcelona officials further from pursuing a deal.
As much, other targets will be prioritised as the Blaugrana look to improve their team ahead of next season