Arsenal are reportedly one of the clubs interested in Manchester City’s Joao Cancelo this summer, but you’d imagine the signing would be difficult to pull off.
- Arsenal are reportedly interested in signing João Cancelo from Manchester City this summer, following his loan move to Bayern Munich.
- Cancelo’s alleged fallout with Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola makes a summer move probable, although securing the Portuguese left-back could be challenging for Arsenal.
- Cancelo has been productive this season, scoring three goals and assisting 10 in 44 appearances on loan with Bayern Munich, which could make him a valuable addition to Arsenal’s squad if a transfer could be arranged.
A Bola report that Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is interested in signing Manchester City’s Joao Cancelo this summer, following the completion of Cancelo’s loan move to Bayern Munich.
Bayern have an option to buy Cancelo for €70m, but if they don’t take it up, the left-back will return to Manchester City.
Following Cancelo’s alleged fall-out with Pep Guardiola, it seems very unlikely he’ll slot back into their squad, so a summer move is probable.
If Bayern don’t buy him, Real Madrid and Barcelona have also been linked as potential suitors, along with Arsenal.
Why it’s difficult for Arsenal to sign Cancelo from Manchester City
You’d imagine it will be difficult for the Gunners to secure the signing of the Portuguese 28-year-old.
Manchester City sold Arsenal Oleksandr Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus last summer, but both of those moves have ended up looking like bargains.
City also effectively helped to turn Arsenal into a title rival, and they won’t want to help Arteta to finish the job next year – assuming City even win the league this year.
If Arsenal could somehow leverage Cancelo’s alleged fall-out with Guardiola to get the player to force through a move to north London, it would probably be a good one.
How has Cancelo done in Germany?
Cancelo has scored three goals and assisted 10 in 44 appearances this season, the same goal contribution tallies that he hit in the previous campaign with City in the Premier League.
He certainly adds a lot to any team going forward, and Arsenal may be on the lookout for a left-back given Kieran Tierney’s uncertain situation.
All that having been said, it still seems like a long shot to expect City to sell to Arsenal again after this season.
What happened between Joao Cancelo and Pep Guardiola?
According to The Guardian, Manchester City’s full-back João Cancelo was loaned to Bayern Munich due to his unacceptable attitude when given less playing time by Pep Guardiola.
Cancelo, displeased with his reduced role and loss of his first-team spot, was given the option to leave, which resulted in a surprise move to Bayern Munich in January.
The loan is effective until the end of the season, with an option for Bayern to buy for €70m (£61.6m).
Cancelo’s desire for more game time was a key factor that caught Bayern’s attention.
Despite being a crucial part of City’s recent success, Nathan Aké’s performance at left-back and Guardiola’s confidence in his defensive cover reportedly led to the decision to allow Cancelo’s transfer.
Speaking after the move, Cancelo denied falling out with Guardiola as he said, “I’ve not had much game time in the past few weeks, which influenced my decision; it has nothing to do with my relationship with Pep.
“I really wanted to embark on this new adventure at such a club with such a big history. It’s a dream for me.”