Manchester City, Barcelona, and Inter Milan prepare blockbuster swap deal - report

Photo by Matt McNulty - Manchester City/Manchester City FC via Getty Images

Lautaro, Semedo, and Cancelo protagonize a three-way trade

Manchester City, FC Barcelona, and Inter Milan are preparing a three-way swap deal that might be one of the most complicated and highest-value deals ever.

A new report says talks are advanced in a deal that would see Lautaro Martínez go from Inter to Barça, Nélson Semedo from Barça to City, and João Cancelo from City to Inter.

Barcelona want Lautaro but need to include players in the deal to cheapen the final fee. They offered Semedo and Emerson, who currently plays on loan to Real Betis, but Inter ultimately decided against it.

Simultaneously, City was offering to make a big investment in Semedo, and had offered Cancelo as part-exchange for him.

The two deals could be merging, with Semedo going to City for Cancelo plus some money, and then Cancelo going back to his old team, Inter, for Lautaro and a hefty fee.

That would put Barcelona one right-back short, although the option of activating their buyback clause on Emerson would become very tempting then.

Source: barcablaugranes.com