Manchester City defender Joao Cancelo has allegedly emerged as a potential transfer target for Barcelona.

Up until the turn of the year, it appeared highly unlikely that the versatile full-back would be departing the Etihad Stadium for the foreseeable future.

However, the Portugal international started to struggle for regular game time after the World Cup, with youngster Rico Lewis being preferred by Pep Guardiola.

A conclusion was reached where Cancelo was allowed to sign for Bayern Munich on a loan deal until the end of the season, the German side possessing the option to make the transfer permanent in the summer.

Although the 28-year-old initially made an impact at the Allianz Arena, he has since dropped down to the substitutes' bench, now making a total of four starts and three outings as a replacement.

To Cancelo's credit, he set up Bayern's second goal during the win over Paris Saint-Germain in midweek, but there has already been an acknowledgment from club officials that they will struggle to meet the agreed fee later this year.

As a result, the likelihood is that Cancelo will return to Man City, where he still has a contract until 2027, and it is plausible that he could be reintegrated back into Guardiola's plans.

According to Sport, though, the Premier League giants may receive contact from Barcelona regarding the possible transfer of the player.

The report states that the Catalan giants intend to be in the market for a new right-back ahead of 2023-24 and have been long-term admirers of Cancelo.

Furthermore, it is suggested that Cancelo's agent being Jorge Mendes could also help their efforts with getting a deal over the line, most likely on a temporary basis.

Nevertheless, it has already been revealed that Barcelona must raise £177m in sales and financial cutbacks before they are able to sign new players.

That scenario was announced by La Liga president Javier Tebas earlier this month, leaving club officials with work ahead of them if they want to sign Cancelo.

While the top-flight leaders are also credited with an interest in Manchester United's Diogo Dalot and Villarreal's Juan Foyth, negotiating a deal for Cancelo is said to be the more realistic option of the three.