MX23RW : Saturday, May 13 13:47:55| >> :120:9041:9041:

Joao Cancelo keeps door open to Manchester City return

Joao Cancelo keeps door open to Man City return
© Reuters
Manchester City full-back Joao Cancelo - currently on loan at Bayern Munich - leaves the door open to a return to the Etihad Stadium for the 2023-24 season.

Manchester City full-back Joao Cancelo has refused to close the door on a possible return to the Etihad Stadium when the campaign draws to a close.

The Portugal international completed a surprise loan move to Bayern Munich during the January transfer window, having seen his influence wane under Pep Guardiola.

The emergence of Rico Lewis pushed Cancelo down the pecking order, and Bayern have an option to make his move to the Allianz Arena permanent for a €70m (£62m) fee in the summer.

The 28-year-old's contract with the Premier League champions does not expire until the summer of 2027, though, and he has expressed his desire to win the top-flight title with the Citizens again.

Speaking to Portuguese outlet O Jogo, Cancelo also paid tribute to a number of his Man City teammates, saying: "Will I still celebrate an English title with City? I hope so. I created a second family there.

Bayern Munich's Joao Cancelo in action on February 2, 2023© Reuters

"Bernardo [Silva] has become one of my best friends, he is the person I miss the most there. He was my psychologist. When something didn't go so well, he was the one to talk to. Ruben [Dias] too, but my relationship with Bernardo is actually very good, even on the field, we had a great connection when we played on the same side.

"He is a person that I will take with me for the rest of my life. Of course, in England I'm rooting for them and I hope they win so that at the end of the season I can be celebrating a title in England and another in Germany.

[Riyad] Mahrez is a great friend of mine, not a day goes by that he doesn't call me. [Jack] Grealish is a spectacular person. Nathan [Ake] is one of the best people I've met in football.

"A spectacular group, I would go to training with great enthusiasm. Everything in life has an end. City's group is spectacular, it's the best I've ever worked in, both as a group and personally. I created great friendships. But at the end of the season I might even return, you never know."

Cancelo has made a fast start to life at Bayern with two assists from his first five games under Julian Nagelsmann, who could be searching for a new permanent full-back if Benjamin Pavard moves on this summer.

Joao Cancelo celebrates scoring for Manchester City on October 8, 2022© Reuters

However, Bayern director Hasan Salihamidzic has admitted that his side will find it difficult to trigger their lucrative buy option, telling Bild: "After the transfer was done, we actually thought again about how long we've been dealing with Joao. We came up with more than four years. Either our position was filled or we didn't have the money for it.

"We're playing with open cards. This sum is difficult for us to imagine in the next few years. If all sides really want a common solution, you can manage that in the end. He knows that he has been one of our dream players for years."

Cancelo has posted nine goals and 22 assists from 154 games in a Man City shirt since joining from Juventus in 2019, having initially struggled to adapt to life in the Premier League.

Having overcome his sticky start, the Portugal international thrived in a versatile left-back role under Guardiola, winning two Premier League titles and being named in the PFA Team of the Year in each of the last two seasons.

It had been claimed that a rift with Guardiola led to Cancelo's sudden exit from the club in January, but the defender has since rubbished the rumours as "lies" and insisted that his decision was simply in order to increase his playing opportunities.

ID:507595:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:collect6876:

Click here for more stories about Joao Cancelo

Click here for more stories about Manchester City

Collect / Create New Data
Share this article now:
Bayern Munich's Joao Cancelo in action on February 11, 2023
Read Next:
Joao Cancelo reveals Guardiola talks which led to Man City exit
>
Sports Mole Logo
Enter your email address to subscribe to Sports Mole's free match previews newsletter! Updates are sent twice a week.
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Manchester CityMan City34264489315882
2Arsenal35256483394481
3Newcastle UnitedNewcastle351812563313266
4Manchester UnitedMan Utd3419694941863
5Liverpool35188967422562
6Tottenham HotspurSpurs35176126457757
7Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton331671063451855
8Aston Villa35166134643354
9Brentford35121495245750
10Fulham35146155049148
11Chelsea34119143439-542
12Crystal Palace351010153546-1140
13Wolverhampton WanderersWolves35117173050-2040
14Bournemouth35116183767-3039
15West Ham UnitedWest Ham35107183850-1237
16Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest3589183465-3133
17Everton35711173253-2132
18Leeds UnitedLeeds36710194671-2531
19Leicester CityLeicester3586214964-1530
20Southampton3566233164-3324

Ted Lasso creative

Subscribe to our newsletter


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!