Real Madrid and Chelsea Battle for Cancelo as Bayern Munich Reportedly Reject Permanent Deal, but Will Manchester City Welcome Him Back?
Bayern Munich are expected to turn down the opportunity to permanently sign Joao Cancelo, who is currently on loan from Manchester City.
The 28-year-old joined the Bundesliga champions in a surprise move on the final day of the January transfer window, following a period of being out of favor at City. Despite initially making a good impression with two assists in his first two games for Bayern, Cancelo has since lost his starting position and has been benched for the last three matches, including the Champions League second-leg victory over Paris Saint-Germain.
Although he did come on as a substitute towards the end of the game and provided an assist for Serge Gnabry. Pep Guardiola has been utilizing Nathan Ake and academy graduate Rico Lewis at left-back instead of Cancelo.
In recent weeks, Josip Stanisic has been the preferred choice for Julian Nagelsmann at right-back, while Alphonso Davies is considered the first-choice left-back at Bayern Munich. Reports suggest that Joao Cancelo has become frustrated with losing his place in the starting lineup under Nagelsmann.
Bayern are reportedly unlikely to exercise their option to sign Cancelo permanently for €70m (£62.3m) in the summer. Sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic recently admitted that the club may struggle to afford the option-to-buy clause for Cancelo, citing the length of time the club had been pursuing him and other financial considerations.
“We’re playing with open cards. This sum is difficult for us to imagine in the next few years. If all sides really want a common solution, you can manage that in the end. He knows that he has been one of our dream players for years.”
According to Calciomercato, Real Madrid and Chelsea are expected to compete for Joao Cancelo’s signature if he decides to leave Manchester City. However, Cancelo has not ruled out the possibility of returning to City for the 2023-24 season, stating that he has created great friendships and worked with the best group he has ever experienced. The Portuguese international, who has made over 150 appearances and won five trophies with City, is contracted to the club until the summer of 2027.
