Guardiola gives Arteta Arsenal transfer green light to sign £35m Man City star
Arsenal’s chances of acquiring Joao Cancelo this summer have received a significant boost following Manchester City’s establishment of a new asking price.
The Portuguese player was excluded from Pep Guardiola’s team after the World Cup, leading him to join Bayern Munich on a six-month loan during the January transfer window.
As the recent weekend marked the end of the league season in both the Bundesliga and Premier League, Cancelo’s loan period in Germany has concluded.
The contract that facilitated his departure from Manchester in January included a buy option worth €70 million (£60.7 million), but Bayern Munich has decided not to activate it. Consequently, Cancelo will be returning to Manchester.
Guardiola seems uninterested in retaining Cancelo in the squad for the upcoming season, creating an opportunity for Arsenal to pursue the player.
Cancelo’s style as an inverted full-back aligns well with Mikel Arteta’s tactical approach, which heavily relies on full-backs drifting inside to generate a numerical advantage in midfield and maintain possession. Adding Cancelo to their team would be an ideal fit for Arsenal’s strategic setup under Arteta.
According to a recent report from Spanish outlet Sport, there are indications that Arsenal could potentially secure the transfer of Joao Cancelo from Manchester City, following the moves of Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko last summer. Despite the existence of a buy option worth €70 million (£60.7 million) that Bayern Munich could have activated, City has apparently reduced the asking price to half that amount.
The report suggests that Pep Guardiola would allow Cancelo to leave if a club agrees to pay €40 million (£34.7 million). Barcelona is also reportedly interested in signing Cancelo, but their financial fair play (FFP) issues may hinder their ability to complete the transfer.
While Jesus and Zinchenko’s arrivals at Arsenal almost helped the team challenge City for the title, it appears that Guardiola’s stance on selling more players to the Gunners has not changed, as indicated by Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio.
Speaking to wettfreunde about Guardiola’s thoughts surrounding Cancelo, he said: “I don’t think Guardiola is a coach who’ll say no, you don’t have to go there – because he’s superior. He thinks he’s superior in every dynamic situation in football.
“I don’t think he’d put a negative situation for him (Joao Cancelo) to go and I don’t think that Guardiola wants to say no to Arsenal or Arteta because he’s a big friend of Arteta. I don’t think he’ll say no.”
In addition to Cancelo, Ilkay Gundogan is another Manchester City player who has caught the interest of Arsenal this summer. Gundogan’s contract is set to expire next month, and if an extension is not agreed upon, he could potentially leave the club on a free transfer. Barcelona is also reportedly keen on signing the midfielder, adding further competition for his signature.
Guardiola gives Arteta Arsenal transfer green light to sign £35m Man City star