Manchester City owner has finally decided Joao Cancelo future at the club after Loan to Barcelona

Joao Cancelo has maintained his desire to stay at Barcelona in the face of an unclear future with Manchester City.

The defender spent last season on loan in La Liga, although he is under contract at the Etihad until 2027. Cancelo looks to have little chance of reviving his City career following an unhappy loan departure to Bayern Munich in January 2023.

He spent the last year at Barcelona and has accused Pep Guardiola and City of lying about his departure and being disrespectful to him when he was at the Etihad.

And now, the defender, who is on Euro 2024 duty with Portugal, has been quoted as stating, “I genuinely like being at Barça; I feel extremely comfortable. My family, including my kid and wife. “We expect to be here next year.”

According to reports in Spain, City warned Barcelona that they would only authorize a second season-long loan for Cancelo if there was a £25 million buyout clause at the end of the 2024/25 season. City paid roughly £60 million for Cancelo.

Guardiola hinted at a City U-turn last week, suggesting that Cancelo would be included in the club’s pre-season squad if his future was not determined before then, despite the fact that the player’s desire is apparent. Any decision on what happens to the 30-year-old will most likely come after Portugal’s Euro 2024 campaign concludes.

while asked about his future on the eve of the tournament, with Barcelona wanting to re-sign him next season, Cancelo said: “It generated a certain uncertainty [earlier speculation about his future] while I was off, but I ignored all that from the first day here. I’m completely focused on the national team and assisting Portugal.

“Euro 2020 was unjust to me [after being ruled out of the tournament after testing positive for Covid], and I now want to offer a response for myself, my family, those who love me, and my friends who wanted to be here, that day they dreamt of, just like me. As a result, I will lay all of my cards on the table, offer my best, and do everything I can to aid Portugal.”