Arsenal plan to land Man City star after burning Guardiola bridge; situation up in the air
Arsenal are reportedly ready to ‘pounce’ for Joao Cancelo if Barcelona can’t afford him, after the Manchester City defender torched his bridge with Pep Guardiola.
Cancelo left the Etihad for the first time last January. He was shipped out to Bayern Munich, with Guardiola suggesting he was not content with sitting on the bench for a few games at City.
He won the league there, but they did not want to sign him, so the Portuguese was allowed to go on another loan this season, this time to La Liga giants Barcelona.
It seems a return to City at the end of the season is firmly off the cards, after Cancelo torched the bridge between himself and Guardiola, stating “lies were told” by the manager and that he’s “never been a bad teammate” despite the Spaniard’s views.
The avenues might be narrowing, too, as Barcelona could reportedly fail to bring the full-back onboard at the end of his loan period. They want to sign him again, but The Sun reports the asking price is ‘too high’ according to the La Liga giants.
Arsenal could therefore ‘pounce’ on the transfer. According to the report, that’s what they are looking to do ‘if Barcelona are unable to turn his move into a permanent one’.
It’s said their interest could be matched by Cancelo himself, as he ‘may be tempted by another link-up’ with Arteta. The Arsenal boss was Guardiola’s assistant at the beginning of the full-back’s time at City.
While he’s consistently suggested that he wants to remain at Barcelona, that simply might not be an option.
With the Gunners more financially blessed than the La Liga side, they could ensure City sell to them, and if Cancelo is on board, it seems like a transfer that has legs.
He’d be the third player to swap the Etihad for the Emirates in the past few years if the move was to happen. Arteta lured Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko to the club.
Neither player has covered themselves in glory this season, so if Cancelo follows that same path, Arsenal will hope he has a better time of it.
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