Etihad Stadium, Manchester, Britain - October 8, 2022. Manchester City's Joao Cancelo celebrates scoring.
Manchester City full-back Joao Cancelo is ‘definitely’ set to leave the club permanently, according to journalist Steve Bates.
The Lowdown: Loaned out
Cancelo made 17 appearances for Man City in the Premier League this season but was loaned out to Bayern Munich for the remainder of the season in a surprise deadline-day move.
When asked whether the full-back has a future at the club, Pep Guardiola recently claimed that a decision will be taken at the end of the season, however, one journalist believes that the manager has already made his choice.
The Latest: Set to leave?
In an interview with GiveMeSport, Bates indicated that Guardiola’s history of being ruthless with key players means that he will also allow the Portugal international to leave the club this summer. The journalist said:
“I think it’s very difficult once Guardiola lets you go out on loan. I think he’s probably made up his mind already.
“Guardiola sold Sterling, Jesus and Zinchenko last summer. They were really top, top players and doing well for him, but he let them go.
“Cancelo has obviously had disagreements with him and his form has gone. It has not been what it was, so I would suspect that Cancelo’s days at City are definitely over.”
The Verdict: Right call?
The 28-year-old was a key performer for the Sky Blues in the 2021/22 campaign, weighing in with seven assists in the Premier League, however, his form took a downward turn this season, making a very poor mistake in the loss against Liverpool at Anfield.
Since arriving at Bayern, the right-back has been lauded ‘fantastic’ by members of the media, helping himself to a goal and two assists in five Bundesliga appearances up to this point.
Given that Guardiola now has 18-year-old Rico Lewis at his disposal to provide cover for Kyle Walker, allowing Cancelo to leave may be the best option for all parties in the summer, especially considering Man City could receive £61.5m if Bayern decide to make his stay permanent.
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