Joao Cancelo transfer: Manchester City were desperate to let Joao Cancelo go in January. Hence, he was sent to Bayern Munich on loan. As per Barcelona, they were in contact with Man City and were close to making a deal at that time. However, apparently, Man City blocked the deal. Recently, coach Pep Guardiola has opened up regarding the matter. He said that Barcelona were misinformed and they were even ready to let Cancelo leave for Man United if he wanted to go to their city rivals.
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Joao Cancelo was a regular starter for Manchester City since the beginning of their last season. However, that only lasted for half the season. As the World Cup approached, he was getting benched by the Man City coach Pep Guardiola. Apparently, Cancelo did not take it well and had some issues with the coach. Following this, there was also an incident where he had his earphones on when Pep Guardiola was speaking with the squad. Reportedly, this irked the coach to the point of no return.
Guardiola asked Man City sporting director, Txiki Begiristain to get rid of the player. Man City then put the player on the market for sale in the winter transfer window. Barcelona showed interest in the player back then, and as per coach Xavi, they were even on talking terms with Man City regarding the matter. However, suddenly, they were informed that Man City blocked the deal and Cancelo would not be going to Barcelona. Barcelona coach Xavi spoke on the Catalan television channel TV3 regarding the matter.
He said, “We wanted Cancelo. They offered him to us and we gave the OK. In the end they tell us that Manchester City do not want him to come to Barca. That is true.” Cancelo ended up going to Bayern Munich in January on loan. The loan deal came with a £60 million option to buy the player on a permanent basis. However, it seems that Bayern will not be triggering the option. Additionally, Cancelo has no future at Manchester City. Hence, they could revisit Barcelona’s offer once again.
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However, after Barcelona coach Xavi made these claims, Man City coach Pep Guardiola has come forward to clear the air. He said “He has been misinformed. He is far from reality. We decided that Joao had to leave and we didn’t care where, if he wanted to go to Manchester United, who are the city rivals. I’m not saying Xavi was lied to, but I’m saying he was misinformed. Joao went to Bayern because Bayern wanted him. We didn’t get an offer from Barca.”
It’s unsure where Cancelo will end up as neither Bayern Munich nor Man City want to retain the player. Barcelona may join the race to sign the player one more time. However, if Man City ask £60 million to sell the player, that could turn out to be difficult for Barcelona considering their financial difficulties. The only option for Barcelona would be to bring Cancelo on loan. However, even that could become difficult if some other club joins the race to sign Cancelo on a permanent deal.
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