Man City to push £45m man out door as Barcelona ‘willing’ to cover huge wage bill to secure snare

Barcelona are reportedly prepared to cover 90 per cent of the wage bill when signing Joao Cancelo from Manchester City, in a loan-to-buy move worth £45million.

City have seen Riyad Mahrez, Ilkay Gundogan and Yangel Herrera walk out the door so far this summer. They might well feel the effects of the former pair leaving, given both were influential figures over the past few seasons.

They allowed Mahrez to take up an offer to receive huge wages with Al Ahli, selling him for £30million, while Gundogan decided his time was up at the end of his contract, taking up a fresh challenge at Barcelona.

Cancelo could soon follow the midfielder to the Nou Camp. City have been in talks with the La Liga giants over a move for weeks, but it would previously have been tough given their financial struggles.

They raised approximately £42.7million from the sale of Ousmane Dembele, though, and now it’s reported it’s “only a matter of time” before it’s over the line.

That might well be the case, as its known what Barcelona are. willing to spend. The Spanish side are hoping to sign Cancelo for £45million, according to The Sun.

They’re also willing to cover 90 per cent of his £190,000-per-week wage bill to ensure City allow him to leave on loan this season, before Barca buy him next summer.

Pep Guardiola allowed the full-back to leave for the second half of last season, and managed to win the treble without him. That suggests he’s not needed, but nor was he at Bayern Munich, as they opted against the signing for £60million.

With that being said, it wouldn’t be a surprise if City were to push Cancelo out the door, making just £15million less than that after another year of his contract has ticked down, as long as it’s certain they will make that at the end of the season.

As such, if there is an obligation to buy him after the loan period at Barcelona inserted into the contract, there seems to be little reason to suggest City would have a problem with the deal.

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