Arsenal have reportedly identified Manchester City right-back, Joao Cancelo as a potential target to provide competition for Ben White ahead of next season.
Joao Cancelo joined Manchester City from Juventus back in 2019 in a swap deal which saw Danilo go to Juventus and Cancelo come to Manchester City. This deal saw Cancelo become the world’s most expensive right back. Cancelo was valued at £60m in the deal, while Danilo was valued at £34m.
The 28-year-old initially struggled to take away Kyle Walker’s role in the starting eleven. However, over time the Portuguese’s versatility saw him find a regular spot in Man City’s first-team squad. He played as both a left-back and a right-back and helped City win back-to-back titles in the 20/21 and 21/22 seasons.
Cancelo was sent out on loan to Bayern Munich for the remainder of the 22/23 season to many people’s surprise. He was reportedly sent away due to “attitude” problems. Cancelo struggled to come in as a regular starter in Julian Nagelsmann’s Bayern Munich. However, he has found a spot in the starting eleven after Thomas Tuchel’s arrival at Bayern Munich.
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It looks very unlikely that Pep Guardiola will welcome Cancelo back into the team next season and it’s likely the club will look to sell him in the upcoming summer transfer window. Manchester City fans even booed the player after he came on as a substitute when Bayern played City in the Champions League a few weeks ago.
Arsenal are reportedly keen on snatching the 28-year-old full-back following their qualification for European football next season. Cancelo previously worked with Mikel Arteta until his appointment as Arsenal head coach. Arteta believes that the player will perfectly fit into his tactical set-up.
However, Arsenal will face competition from other top European clubs. Bayern Munich want to retain the player and Real Madrid are on the lookout for a replacement for Dani Carvajal. Barcelona are said to be keen on the player as well.
Even if Cancelo is willing to join Arsenal, it depends whether Manchester City are ready to give yet another player to their title rivals. After the sale of Oleksandr Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus, Manchester City may not be keen on strengthening Arsenal once again ahead of next season.
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