10 March 2023 , 21:19
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Bayern Munich look set to opt against turning Joao Cancelo's loan into a permanent move after a disappointing start to his time in Germany.
After starting five games in succession upon his arrival from Manchester City, the Portuguese defender has struggled for game-time since. He played just four minutes of the Champions League win over PSG on Wednesday, though did still claim an assist.
Cancelo's career at City appears to be over having fallen out with Pep Guardiola. As a result, as part of the loan deal, Bayern have the option of buying Cancelo for £61.6m in the summer transfer window.
But according to Sport that is not an option that will be activated, with Bayern having already decided to cut ties at the end of the campaign. The Bundesliga giants are said to have 'already communicated' that decision to City.
They have no desire to extend Cancelo's stay in Germany and he will instead be shipped back to the Etihad Stadium. Guardiola also sees no future for Cancelo at City and so will put him straight back on the market.
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Their priority is to sell him, though with a contract until 2027, they are aware that they may have to send him out for another loan. Barcelona are said to be growing increasingly interested, if a loan deal is to be struck.
HAVE YOUR SAY! Should Manchester City give Joao Cancelo another chance? Comment below.
Pep Guardiola has confirmed that Cancelo's situation will be assessed in the summer (Manchester City FC via Getty Images)The news that Bayern are already ready to cut ties with Cancelo comes after Guardiola admitted that his situation would be reviewed in the summer. The City boss said: "Joao is a player for Bayern Munich I don't have any comments. At the end of the season we will review all the cases of players."
Though he only granted him four minutes off the bench in the win over PSG, Julian Nagelsmann has confirmed that Cancelo will be handed starts over the closing months of the season.
"He will get a chance to start, as of now. In one practice he wasn’t really that sharp because he didn’t really like the situation he was in," Nagelsmann said on Friday ahead of Bayern’s home game against Augsburg.
"When he’s not playing not everything is well. There are players who cope with it better, others not as much. There was one training session where he was not performing as I wanted him to but I had a really good chat with him.
“I was talking him about my path, about which chances might develop. I think this chat — he was very open as well, it was not just about football — will be really beneficial to him. He was training well after it. He has the joy back on the pitch.
“All the load you have on your shoulders needs to be left off the pitch. I’m going to give him a start to honour his training work and his reaction. I’m pretty confident he will show what he did in practice in the game.”