Manchester City are reportedly ready to resolve the future of one of their biggest stars and earners.
The Champions are said to be willing to facilitate the permanent exit of the star, with no chance of a reconciliation while Pep Guardiola remains manager of the club.
Manchester City are set for a big summer of incomings, with huge stars like Bruno Guimaraes rumoured to be targets for the club – but there could be some equally seismic exits.
According to Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo, City are open to negotiating with Barcelona over a permanent move for Joao Cancelo, with the player wanting to return to Catalonia.
The Portuguese defender has not pulled on a City shirt since January 2023, when he was loaned to Bayern Munich after he reportedly fell out with manager Pep Guardiola over a lack of playing time.
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Bayern opted not to activate a buy-out clause at the end of the 2022/23 season, with the defender then spending the following campaign on loan at Barcelona. With that stint now over, the question of the 30-year-old’s future again comes into focus
The report adds that City are dealing with Cancelo’s agent Jorge Mendes and that City have had other offers for the player. Cancelo has three years left on his current City deal, but want to seal a permanent exit, which would bring in a transfer fee and remove the player’s salary from their books.
This comes after Guardiola went on the record to explain the player’s situation while talking at a golf event in Girona.
"The two clubs will sit down,” the City boss claimed. “He is our player and, if an agreement is not reached, he will have to return in the pre-season.
“If he wants to stay here [at Barcelona], and the clubs agree, it will be done again.”
Cancelo joined City from Juventus in 2019 and has played for the club in three Premier League-winning campaigns, while being named in the PFA Premier League Team of the Year twice.
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