"Didn't want him to come to Barcelona" - Xavi claims Manchester City blocked star's move to the Blaugrana last January
Xavi Hernandez has claimed that he wanted to sign Joao Cancelo in January but that Manchester City did not want the move to go through.
The Portugal international joined Bayern Munich in January on a six-month loan deal with an option to make it permanent for €70 million. His current deal at the Etihad expires in the summer of 2027.
However, it seems unlikely that Cancelo will stay at Manchester City after a fallout with Pep Guardiola. He could have joined Barcelona in the winter had the Cityzens given him the nod. But that wasn't the case.
Xavi told reporters, via @BarcaUniversal on Twitter:
"We wanted Cancelo in January, they offered him to us and we agreed. In the end they told us that Man City didn't want him to come to Barcelona."
Barcelona have been evidently in need of a right-back this season. Xavi has had to play the likes of Ronald Araujo, Jules Kounde and left-back Alejandro Balde in that position.
It remains to be seen if Bayern Munich exercise the option to keep Cancelo at the Allianz Arena beyond the summer. He has featured in all but one of his team's 22 games across competitions since leaving Manchester City.
Cancelo can play down both flanks with ease and has also impressed in central midfield on a handful of occasions under Guardiola. Earlier this year, it was claimed that City would be open to letting the 29-year-old join Barcelona over Real Madrid.
Los Blancos are believed to be another team keeping an eye on the former Juventus full-back's situation.
Pep Guardiola aiming to repeat Barcelona treble feat at Manchester City
Pep Guardiola could become the first manager to do the treble twice in his managerial career.
Manchester City have already won the Premier League and have an FA Cup final against Manchester United and a UEFA Champions League final against Inter Milan to look forward to. Guardiola won the treble in 2008-09 - his first season as Barca's head coach.
Treble, in this regard, must include winning the main domestic cup, the league title and the main continental trophy. No manager has achieved the feat twice. The last team to do it were Bayern Munich, doing so in the 2019-20 campaign.
Manchester City's latest game ended in a 1-0 defeat against Brentford in the Premier League on May 28. However, the result had no consequence on their fate in the league whatsoever, with Guardiola's side having wrapped up the title eight days prior to their game against the Bees.