Man City ace whose value has fallen £32m may never play for the club again

Man City ace whose value has fallen £32m may never play for the club again

Since their takeover in 2008, Manchester City have spent millions of pounds to reach the highest point in European football. Their investment has been rewarded in success, capped off by winning their first treble last season.

Whilst their dream of a double treble this term was ended thanks to defeat in the Champions League quarter-final on penalties against Real Madrid, they are still at the top of the Premier League table and have an FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea on Saturday afternoon.

Along the road to their success, many players have come and gone from the Etihad. Some have had success with the club, and some haven’t. Under Pep Guardiola alone, they have purchased 52 players, some who have become integral, others who left without making an appearance for the club.

However, there is one player in particular whom City fans and neutrals alike might be confused about as to how it did not quite work out at the Etihad. With the player seemingly set to leave in the summer, the end to his time at the club may be one of the more frustrating in the last decade or so for City.

Joao Cancelo’s transfer value at Barcelona

The man in question here is Portugal international Joao Cancelo. The left-back, who was generally superb during his time at the club, left Manchester City due to a rumoured argument with his manager Guardiola.

Cancelo left the Etihad on loan in the January transfer window in 2023, to join Bayern Munich, before returning to City at the end of the season. Last summer, Cancelo joined Barcelona on a season-long loan for 2023/24.

Since joining Barcelona on loan, Cancelo’s transfer value has plummeted. City bought the Portugal international in 2019 for £60m, which also included a swap deal for Brazilian defender Danilo.

However, 29-year-old Cancelo has since seen his value drop by a great distance. According to Football Transfers, the Barcelona defender is now worth less than half of what City paid for him, £28m to be exact. That certainly might frustrate City, who would now have to take the hit and lose money should they wish to move Cancelo on next summer.

Joao Cancelo’s season in numbers

It has been a frustrating season for Barcelona as a whole. They are eight points behind La Liga leaders Real Madrid and seem unlikely to catch their rivals and trump them to the league title. They also got eliminated from the Champions League on Tuesday, after PSG overturned a first-leg deficit to beat Barca in their own backyard.

On a personal note for Cancelo, he has had a strong season. So far, the 29-year-old has contributed from both left-back and right-back, playing 35 games, scoring four goals and registering four assists along the way.

Whilst he is outscoring City’s full-backs, it is hard to see how Cancelo fits in again at City should he return next season. Despite the Portugal international’s ability to invert into midfield, Guardiola tends to prefer his full-backs to sit alongside Rodri in midfield and give licence to the more creative players in attack.

When John Stones is fit, Guardiola tends to ask both full-backs to tuck in and make a back three, with Stones acting as a libero and stepping up into midfield. Neither role suits Cancelo’s game, who is a more attacking defender and enjoys getting into the final third, as his goal output from this season shows.

With that and his rumoured argument with Guardiola in mind, it may well be the case that City decide to cut their losses and sell Cancelo, meaning the Portuguese is unlikely to play for the club again. Dispute the fact that he is valued at half the price they bought him for, they will be able to recoup at least some of that fee and reinvest it into the squad elsewhere.

Should the 29-year-old leave there were rumours a few months ago that City are interested in swapping him for Barcelona left-back Alejandro Balde. Only time will tell if City decide to move Cancelo on and replace him with the exciting young talent that is Balde.