Bayern Munich has confirmed the signing of Portugal wing-back Joao Cancelo on loan from Manchester City until the end of the season. The German club has the option to purchase the Portuguese defender for a reported fee of 70 million euros ($75 million) at the conclusion of the loan period. Cancelo, who has scored seven goals in 41 appearances for Portugal, arrived in Munich on Monday and completed his medical examination on Tuesday. This move could potentially signal the end of France international Benjamin Pavard’s tenure at Bayern.
The 28-year-old Cancelo joined Manchester City from Juventus in 2019 for 65 million euros ($70 million) and has a contract with the English champions that runs until 2027. In a statement released by the club, Cancelo expressed his excitement about joining Bayern, stating, “FC Bayern is a great club, one of the best in the world, and it’s enormous motivation for me to now play alongside these extraordinary players in a team. I know that this club, this team lives for titles and wins titles every year. I’m also driven by the hunger for success.” Throughout his career, Cancelo has won multiple titles, including league championships with Benfica, Juventus, and Manchester City.
Bayern’s sporting director, Hasan Salihamidzic, noted that the club had been considering Cancelo for some time before finalizing the deal. He remarked, “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. I’m convinced Joao will help us in the coming weeks and months where we want to win titles.”
Bayern secured this deadline-day signing after Cancelo had recently fallen out of favor with Manchester City. Manager Pep Guardiola had excluded him from the starting lineup in the team’s last three matches, opting instead for academy graduate Rico Lewis, as well as Nathan Ake, Kyle Walker, and John Stones. Cancelo could make his debut for Bayern in their German Cup match against Mainz on Wednesday or in their Bundesliga clash with Wolfsburg on Sunday.
Comments are closed for this story.