BERLIN, Feb 1 ― Bayern Munich have signed full back Joao Cancelo on an initial loan deal from Manchester City for the rest of the season with an option to buy the Portugal international, the Bundesliga club said yesterday.
His arrival completes a trio of winter signings for Bayern, who face Paris St Germain in the Champions League last 16 in two weeks, with keeper Yann Sommer and defender Daley Blind.
They were brought in to replace long-term injured goalkeeper Manuel Neuer and defenders Lucas Hernandez and Noussair Mazraoui.
Cancelo made 16 league starts for City this season but has not played for the club since their derby loss to Manchester United earlier this month, missing the last three games.
He started only three of 10 games after the World Cup break and lost his place to Nathan Ake while 18-year-old Rico Lewis also emerged as an option for manager Pep Guardiola this season.
“My decision had to do with the playing time that had been little in recent weeks,” the Portuguese told a news conference. “There was speculation that my relationship with (Manchester City coach) Pep (Guardiola) was not the best but fact is I wanted to play more.
“I wanted to start this new adventure as soon as possible,” Cancelo added. “I enjoyed my time at City and I am still under contract with the club so I don’t see it as a final departure. I will now focus only on my five months and see what happens then.”
Cancelo had been instrumental for City since his arrival in 2019, winning two league titles, while he was also named in the Premier League Team of the Year in the past two seasons.
The versatile 28-year-old has predominantly played as a left back but can also operate on the right flank.
“We’ve signed him on loan now and have the possibility of signing him permanently in the summer,” said Bayern’s sports director Hasan Salihamidzic.
“Joao is a player we’ve been thinking about for a while now because we very much appreciate his qualities. He’s the optimal fit in our system with his attacking style of play and dynamism, and his mentality and experience fit very well in our team.
“We have now brought in Sommer, Daley Blind and Joao. We covered those three positions and hope to have the depth in our squad needed to reach our goals.”
Bayern top the Bundesliga but have failed to win since the restart after the World Cup. They have had three straight draws and their lead over Union Berlin has been cut to a point. ― Reuters
Pep Guardiola went back on his word after blocking last-ditch Barcelona transfer
Pep Guardiola was determined to keep hold of one of his most important Manchester City players after a late transfer bid from Spanish giants Barcelona on deadline day
Manchester City rejected a late bid from Barcelona for Bernardo Silva.
The Portugal international, 28, is a long-term target for Barcelona and the Catalan giants have tried on several occasions to sign the player. Their latest offer was a loan deal that contained an obligation to buy Silva in the summer – but City have knocked it back.
City’s refusal to sell Silva in the final few hours of the transfer window contradicts comments made by Pep Guardiola. The City boss has previously insisted he will not keep players who want to leave, with reports in Spain suggesting Silva wants to join Barcelona.
As reported by Spanish outlet AS, Barcelona tried to sign Silva one last time. It is claimed Barcelona made an approach to sign the playmaker on deadline day, although that report suggests no official bid was made.
Guardiola has previously admitted Silva “likes Barcelona a lot” and it is believed the former Monaco star wants to move to the Camp Nou, but City are not budging at this late stage in the transfer window. They have already let Joao Cancelo join Bayern Munich on loan.
City refusal to let Silva join Barcelona contradicts what Guardiola said after Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko joined Arsenal last summer. “When you don’t want to stay and want to leave, you cannot stay,” claimed the City boss.
Pep Guardiola does not want to lose Bernardo Silva ( Image: Getty Images)
Furthermore, when Raheem Sterling joined Chelsea in the same transfer window, Guardiola said: “If you force one person to stay when he doesn’t want to stay how can you get the best from him? It’s impossible. I would love to stay all together but at the same time if a player wants to leave then we will find a solution.”
Silva has played more than 280 games since joining City from Monaco in the summer of 2017. He has helped Guardiola’s side win 11 trophies – including four Premier League titles – and started their 1-0 Champions League final defeat to Chelsea in May 2021.
Silva has also won league titles in Portugal and in France with Benfica and Monaco respectively. The 78-cap international was named as the Nations League’s Player of the Tournament in 2019 after helping Portugal win the inaugural edition of the competition.
Guardiola discussed the idea of Silva joining Barcelona after a friendly between the two teams last August. The Spaniard said: “I’m no one to tell Barca to forget about [signing] Bernardo. We want him to stay with us, but I don’t want anyone who’s not happy.
“The first thing would be for the clubs to come to an agreement, but there has been no offer for him in these last two years.
“I don’t want him to go, he’s a superlative player and a great person… and there are only seven or eight days left [in the window] and we would have to turn to the transfer market. I want him to stay. That said, it is true Bernardo likes Barcelona a lot.”
Source: malaymail.com; mirror.co.uk
