Real Madrid are reportedly interested in signing Joao Cancelo next summer. Los Blancos have had issues on the right flank this season as Dani Carvajal was out for weeks due to injury. The club believes that Cancelo would fit perfectly into their system.
Spanish Champions Real Madrid are interested in signing Manchester City right-back Joao Cancelo in the next summer’s transfer window. Los Blancos currently have Dani Carvajal as their first-choice right-back, but the Spaniard’s fitness issues have been a problem for the club.
The club does have the option of deploying Lucas Vazquez as a right-back, but he’s not a natural to the position. Real Madrid also has 18-year-old Vinicius Tobias for the position, but he still lacks experience at the highest level.
The Spanish giants want to bring in Joao Cancelo to add more competition for the full-back position. The player can also bolster their attacking options as he has the ability to play in the left flank as well. The City man is also well experienced in playing at the top level and has shown his skills again and again.
Real Madrid’s interest in signing a full-back
Cancelo signed for Manchester City in 2019 from Juventus and has been permanent in their starting line-up. The 28-year-old has quickly developed into one of the best full-backs in Europe. Although primarily a right-back, Pep Guardiola has often deployed the Portuguese on the left. Cancelo hasn’t failed to impress in the left flank as well.
The Portuguese international has been instrumental in City’s back-to-back title-winning seasons. Since his signing, he has played 138 games for City. During this time, he has bagged eight goals for the club and also assisted twenty times.
Real Madrid’s manager Carlo Ancelotti is planning to strengthen his full-back options. The club recently lost long-serving Marcelo to the Greek club Olympiacos for free in the summer. Madrid currently have Ferland Mendy as the only option in that position.
This is one of the reasons why Madrid want to sign the Portuguese. The full-back has an attacking mentality and can make runs from either flank to help the team set up goal-scoring opportunities.
Cancelo is known for his hybrid approach to the game as he can also play in the central midfield dictating the attack. Carvajal has been in good form recently, and Cancelo could help them make an impact from the left flank as well. Mendy, on the other hand, is more of a defensive option than an attacking one.
Carlo Ancelotti looking to strengthen Madrid
Ancelotti recently grabbed Antonio Rudiger from Chelsea for free this summer. Rudiger had an impressive run with Chelsea and managed to catch eyes with strong performances for the Premier League club. The German center-back is said to be one of the Italian manager’s most favored defenders at the Los Blancos.
With David Alaba also at the club, Real Madrid were making use of the Austrian’s versatility to play in different positions to counter the left-back problem. Bringing in Rudiger worked for the cause as the German is known to perform strongly in a back-three formation.
Ancelotti now seems to be looking for a left-back attacking option. He believes that Cancelo would be the perfect replacement for Marcelo and would also add versatility to the squad. As the January transfer window closes in, the Italian manager will look to add more firepower to Madrid.
Current situation at the Etihad
Cancelo has recently renewed his contract with City that will keep him at the Etihad till 2027. Madrid are confident of getting the Portuguese for around €50 million, which sounds like a bargain for a player of his caliber.
However, Manchester City will surely not want to lose another full-back, particularly after the departure of Oleksandr Zinchenko to Arsenal this summer. Pep Guardiola understands the importance of Cancelo as he has been an integral part of Manchester City.
If Real Madrid are serious about signing Cancelo, they will definitely have to increase their reported offer as City won’t let the player leave for such a low price.
However, that doesn’t seem to be a problem for a club like Real Madrid. The Spanish giants are known for spending big bucks for players they seem fit for their squad. For someone like Cancelo, Madrid certainly won’t mind spending a little more for the player.
