---
title: "Manchester City: Fans baffled by potential transfer exchange involving Joao Cancelo"
canonical: "https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/man-city-fans-transfer-report-joao-cancelo/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "Liam Togher"
section: "Manchester City Football Club"
published: "2020-05-12T17:10:51Z"
modified: "2020-05-12T17:10:51Z"
---

# Manchester City: Fans baffled by potential transfer exchange involving Joao Cancelo

**Plenty of Manchester City fans have reacted with bewilderment to a transfer report from Italy which involves Joao Cancelo.**

According to [Corriere dello Sport](https://www.corrieredellosport.it/news/calcio/calcio-mercato/2020/05/12-69686233/clamoroso_inter_torna_cancelo_/), the Portugal defender is part of a reported three-pronged transfer exchange between City, Inter and Barcelona which would see him moving to Serie A, Lautaro Martinez joining the La Liga side and Nelson Semedo coming to the Etihad Stadium. News of the complex transfer arrangement was shared by [@City\_Xtra](https://twitter.com/City_Xtra/status/1260154171178856449) on Twitter.

> Inter look set to sign Joao Cancelo this summer as part of a complex deal involving Manchester City and Barcelona.
>
> Lautaro Martinez will head to Barcelona in exchange for Joao Cancelo and a cash sum, with Nelson Semedo heading to Manchester City.
>
> \[[@CorSport](https://twitter.com/CorSport?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) via [@SempreIntercom](https://twitter.com/SempreIntercom?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)\] [pic.twitter.com/Sn8fkyH7Pa](https://t.co/Sn8fkyH7Pa)
>
> — City Xtra (@City\_Xtra) [May 12, 2020](https://twitter.com/City_Xtra/status/1260154171178856449?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

Cancelo only [came to England last summer](https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/manchestercity/man-city-sign-joao-cancelo-from-juventus-with-danilo-in-partexchange-a4206581.html) as part of an exchange deal which saw ex-Manchester City defender Danilo [take his place at Juventus](https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/manchestercity/man-city-sign-joao-cancelo-from-juventus-with-danilo-in-partexchange-a4206581.html) but the 25-year-old has [started only eight Premier League games](https://www.whoscored.com/Players/128967/Show/Jo%C3%A3o-Cancelo) this season, with Pep Guardiola [often preferring to start with Kyle Walker](https://www.whoscored.com/Players/69778/Show/Kyle-Walker) at right-back.

Spanish media outlet [Sport](https://www.sport.es/) had claimed \[via [Sport Witness](https://sportwitness.co.uk/everything-indicates-players-next-destination-will-be-man-city-great-interest-from-etihad/)\] that Guardiola has been eyeing up a possible move for Semedo, who has featured in [29 games](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/nelson-semedo/leistungsdaten/spieler/231572) for Barcelona in the current campaign.

\[freshpress-poll id=”297294″\]

These Manchester City fans on Twitter seemed rather baffled and mystified upon reading the transfer report from Corriere dello Sport:

https://twitter.com/NorthMCFC/status/1260156222612930562

https://twitter.com/LeeBrom/status/1260154744909242369

> Why the hell would Cancelo leave? He barely played! It’s embarrassing the way we continue to buy the wrong defenders.
>
> — skyzenz (@skyzenz) [May 12, 2020](https://twitter.com/skyzenz/status/1260154560259280896?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

> How about Cancelo Stays and Martinez comes to City… couldn’t care less about Semedo
>
> — (@iestynmcfc) [May 12, 2020](https://twitter.com/iestynmcfc/status/1260154952330158081?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

> [pic.twitter.com/uAbNpD2PBJ](https://t.co/uAbNpD2PBJ)
>
> — ‘deji (@bobskino) [May 12, 2020](https://twitter.com/bobskino/status/1260155079845384192?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

> We already have a good backup to walker so why we are going to get semedo and barcelona takes advantage of it by exchanging him with lautaro why city don’t exchange directly with inter for lautaro
>
> — hashem (@hashem69543373) [May 12, 2020](https://twitter.com/hashem69543373/status/1260157277165817857?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

> Any chance we’ll buy what we actually need in a Centre Back?
>
> — Goater’s Motors (@goatersmotors) [May 12, 2020](https://twitter.com/goatersmotors/status/1260155629349584897?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

***Man City fans, should the club give Cancelo more of a chance and would he be preferable to Semedo? Have your say by commenting below!***