Barcelona Reportedly Scout Juventus Defender Joao Cancelo

Barcelona reportedly sent international scout Ariedo Braida to watch Joao Cancelo in Juventus' 1-1 draw with Genoa on Saturday.

According to Calciomercato.com, Braida made a trip to Italy to scout Serie A stars Cancelo and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic over the weekend, watching the former on Saturday and the latter on Sunday.

It's said Barca want to sign Cancelo at the end of the campaign, although he could be a costly acquisition due to his impressive performances with the Bianconeri since his arrival in the summer.

The Catalan giants saw Cancelo produce a fine performance against Genoa:

Cancelo joined Juventus in a €40 million deal from Valencia, for whom he made 91 appearances, and he has laid on two assists in nine games for his new side thus far.

Serie A writer David Amoyal has been impressed with his showings:

Goal's Carlo Garganese and La Liga writer Andrew Gaffney hailed the 24-year-old's attacking prowess, though they also noted his defensive limitations:

Barcelona only signed Nelson Semedo last year and he has shown promise at right-back for them, so it's possible they want Cancelo to provide stronger competition for him than Sergi Roberto or they plan to use the Juve man further forward.

He's experienced with La Liga, too, owing to his time with Valencia, so there would be little doubt that he can perform in the Spanish top flight.

However, given Juventus only signed him in the summer at a significant investment, they'll be loath to part with him so soon after acquiring him, particularly after he has produced such strong performances.