Juventus has joined Barcelona in the pursuit of Portugal right-back Joao Cancelo after Manchester City lowered their asking price. City has reduced their initial demand of €25-30m to now considering offers around €20m. Despite Saudi Arabian clubs Al-Ahli and Al-Ettifaq being willing to pay the original price, they have yet to convince Cancelo to leave European football.
According to reports from Sport and Corriere dello Sport, Juventus, led by Thiago Motta, are now also interested in signing Cancelo. They will attempt to persuade him to return to Turin this summer instead of heading to Barcelona, his initial choice.
Both Barcelona and Juventus are looking to offer Cancelo a loan with an option to buy next summer, as he is now 30 years old and does not fit into City’s plans under Pep Guardiola. If Barcelona fails to secure Cancelo on loan, they will explore other affordable options for the right-back position.
Barcelona has an advantage in negotiations due to their good relationship with Cancelo’s agent, Jorge Mendes. However, if Cancelo decides to consider other offers, Barcelona might struggle to keep him. Currently, Barcelona’s options for the right-back position include Hector Fort, Julian Araujo, and Jules Kounde.
