Bayern Munich have announced the signing of Joao Cancelo from Manchester City in one of the biggest shocks of the January transfer window
Joao Cancelo of Manchester City celebrates after scoring their first goal during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Southampton FC at Etihad Stadium on October 8, 2022 in Manchester, United Kingdom.(Image credit: Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)
Joao Cancelo has completed his surprise transfer deadline day move from Manchester City to Bayern Munich, which reportedly came about following a training ground argument.
The Portugal international was a mainstay of Pep Guardiola’s side until recently, winning two Premier League titles after joining from Juventus in 2019.
Cancelo won two Premier League titles with City (Image credit: Getty Images)
“Bayern is a great club, one of the best in the world, and it’s enormous motivation for me to now play alongside these extraordinary players in a team,” Cancelo told the Bayern website.
“I know that this club, this team lives for titles and wins titles every year. I’m also driven by the hunger for success. I‘ll give my best for FC Bayern."
Joao Cancelo endured a tough World Cup (Image credit: Getty)
Sky Sports News say that Bayern have the option to buy Cancelo fixed at €70m (£61m).
Cancelo has fallen down the pecking order under Guardiola since the turn of the year, and the Daily Mail reports that his departure came following a bust-up with the manager.
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The newspaper claims that the Portuguese reacted angrily to not being picked for Friday’s FA Cup tie against Arsenal.
Since returning from the World Cup break, Cancelo has featured in three of City’s six Premier League games and was an unused substitute for the FA Cup win over Arsenal and League Cup win against Liverpool.
The 28-year-old’s relationship with the manager is said to have got worse the more the defender complained about his lack of game time, reaching a breaking point last week when he threatened to leave.
Cancelo has scored nine goals and provided 22 assists in 154 appearances for City in all competitions, twice earning a place in the PFA Premier League Team of the Year.
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Alasdair Mackenzie is a freelance journalist based in Rome, and a FourFourTwo contributor since 2015. When not pulling on the FFT shirt, he can be found at Reuters, The Times and the i. An Italophile since growing up on a diet of Football Italia on Channel 4, he now counts himself among thousands of fans sharing a passion for Ross County and Lazio.
