Fresneda ruled out as Cancelo edges closer to joining Barcelona

Joao Cancelo is set to become a Barcelona player this week.

The Catalan club and Manchester City are negotiating a season-long loan for the full-back with an option to buy for an amount that is currently being discussed.

Xavi has approved the signing of the Portuguese player and said no to Fresneda. There have been talks with the Real Valladolid player for several months, but he now knows the Blaugrana won't be signing him.

Open negotiation

The Blaugrana spoke with Jorge Mendes, Cancelo's representative, and told him of Barcelona's intentions with the defender. Now the agent is negotiating Cancelo's exit with the English club. All parties are very optimistic that the deal will be completed.

No specific right-back

Xavi is betting on Cancelo to reinforce the right-back position. At this point in the transfer window, improving the position is vital for the coach.

He has no specific right-back at this time. Last weekend he had to play Kounde there and we all know what the Frenchman thinks about it.

Araujo and Sergi Roberto

The other options are Ronald Araujo, who can also play there. Defensively, he is a sure thing, but the team loses out in attack when he is deployed there. The opposite happens when Sergi Roberto plays, as he can attack, but he struggled when up against a fast winger.

Now, the next move will be to add a winger. The club believe the deal for Cancelo will be finalized in the coming days and that he'll arrive in Barcelona before the weekend.

Playing against Villarreal is more complicated because he will miss training sessions, but Xavi wants the Portuguese as soon as possible.