REVEALED: Barcelona signed veteran over BARGAIN wonderkid

Tom Weber

Updated: 14 Aug 2023 20:31 BST
3 min read

Barcelona chose to sign Joao Cancelo over Ivan Fresneda despite being close to reaching an agreement with the latter, according to Spanish media.

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At last, the Blaugrana will finally have a new right back. Head coach Xavi has never been convinced by Sergino Dest, while the Hector Bellerin experiment lasted only a few months last season before he was shipped off to Portugal.

This has meant that Barcelona have mainly had to utilise centre-backs in a wide position. Indeed, Xavi already tried to remedy the situation in January by trying to sign Joao Cancelo and talks were developing positively. That was until Manchester City - or, according to some reports, more specifically Pep Guardiola - blocked the deal and the Portuguese ended up at Bayern Munich.

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Finally bringing in that right-back Xavi has so desperately wanted was a priority for this summer, but the club's financial situation made any deals difficult to achieve.

© ProShots - Joao Cancelo and Pep Guardiola

Barcelona were close to Fresneda

That's why the Blaugrana initially tried to strike a deal with Real Valladolid for 18-year-old wonderkid Ivan Fresneda. In fact, according to Relevo's Matteo Moretto, the Catalans were in advanced negotiations with the youngster, who reportedly boasts a release clause of just €20 million.

However, then Barcelona managed to get Franck Kessie and Ousmane Dembele off the books and the picture changed. They suddenly had more resources at their disposal and, knowing that Cancelo is a player Xavi has wanted for some time, went for the more experienced option instead.

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Now, Spanish media claims that a deal is all but done and Xavi will certainly be delighted to finally get his man. Only time will tell whether picking the 29-year-old over an 18-year-old who has been courted by Borussia Dortmund and Arsenal was the correct decision.

Cancelo certainly has the track record to back up the faith put in him, but Fresneda could have delighted the Barca faithful for a decade if not longer.