Arsenal report: Last-minute hijack of Joao Cancelo puts Barcelona from 'Champions League club' move into doubt

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Arsenal have targeted Joao Cancelo this summer: now an unnamed Champions League are looking to hijack his Barcelona move

Arsenal target Joao Cancelo during pre-season in summer 2023.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Arsenal could be about to hijack a move for Manchester City star Joao Cancelo – who looked bound for Barcelona.

The Gunners have shown interest in the Portuguese full-back for a while now, with Mikel Arteta flexing his connections to the Citizens to pursue moves for Cancelo and Aymeric Laporte. Last summer, Arsenal signed Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko from the Etihad outfit. 

Cancelo fell out with manager Pep Guardiola last season, leaving Manchester City on loan for Bayern Munich. He was booed on his return to the club in the Champions League and did look set to join Barcelona on deadline day – but there may be a twist left in the tale. 

Manchester City and Arsenal managers Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta respectively embrace during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Arsenal FC at Etihad Stadium on April 26, 2023 in Manchester, United Kingdom.

Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta have a good working relationship (Image credit: Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images)

Spanish outlet Cadena SER says that Cancelo has received a "last-minute offer" from a Champions League club, which remains unnamed.

While it very likely that the offer is from Arsenal, however, it may not matter. Cancelo is said to have agreed terms with Barça ahead of a move and with City reluctant to let Laporte go to the Gunners, they certainly would not change their plans to sell Cancelo there. 

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Arsenal could be in the market for a full-back today, with the defender Jurrien Timber ruled out for a number of months with an ACL injury. So far, there is no movement on such a deal.

The Gunners are actually more likely to let players leave on Deadline Day, with Rob Holding set to leave the club and further deplete the defensive resources ahead of the season.

Jurrien Timber of Arsenal receives medical treatment during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Nottingham Forest at Emirates Stadium on August 12, 2023 in London, England.

Arsenal may look to replace Jurrien Timber today (Image credit: David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)

Arsenal are also linked with Eric Garcia of Barcelona.

Cancelo is valued at €50 million by Transfermarkt.

More Arsenal stories

Arsenal transfer news is coming thick and fast as we enter the final few weeks of the summer window.

The Gunners are reportedly willing to offer two players to Inter Milan in exchange for Nicolo Barella. Arsenal are also said to have made an audacious approach for one of Barcelona’s most exciting young talents.

In FourFourTwo's Season Preview, we ask whether Arsenal are truly back, following last season's title challenge.

Mark White
Mark White
Content Editor

Mark White is the Digital Content Editor at FourFourTwo. During his time on the brand, Mark has written three cover features on Mikel Arteta, Martin Odegaard and the Invincibles, and has written pieces on subjects ranging from Sir Bobby Robson’s time at Barcelona to the career of Robinho. An encyclopedia of football trivia and collector of shirts, he first joined the team back in 2020 as a staff writer.