Barcelona ready to make shock swap bid for €60m Man City struggler

Manchester City right-back Joao Cancelo could be on his way out of the Etihad Stadium in a swap deal with Barcelona, according to reports.

Cancelo only arrived in Manchester last summer in another swap deal which saw Danilo head to Juventus, but the £60m investment has not been able to dislodge Kyle Walker from the starting right-back role.

The Portugal international has been limited to just 11 Premier League appearances, and with City ready to cut their losses, he could be involved in a part-exchange with one of his international teammates.

According to The Telegraph, Cancelo is attracting interest from Barcelona, who would be willing to send Nelson Semedo to Manchester in return.

Cancelo is no stranger to La Liga, having spent three full seasons with Valencia before heading to Italy – and Barcelona could give him the chance to return to the Spanish top flight.

With several swap deals expected to happen this summer, Cancelo and Semedo could change clubs, in a deal that may favour Man City financially.

Cancelo still has five years left on his contract at the Etihad Stadium, whereas only two years remain on Semedo’s deal at Camp Nou. While City won’t be keen to lose too much of what they spent on Cancelo, Semedo could be valued at around half his price, €30m.

One year Cancelo’s senior, Semedo has been with Barcelona since 2017, going on to make more than 100 appearances for the club and winning consecutive La Liga titles – although it appears club and player are ready to come to a mutual parting of ways.

The news won’t make positive reading for Jose Mourinho, who had in fact been linked with both players as he seeks a new right-back for Tottenham Hotspur.

Mourinho was reportedly prepared to offer Cancelo more gametime in January, but no bid came to fruition – while also believing that Semedo could adapt quickly to the Premier League.