EPL: Arsenal open talks with Manchester City for Cancelo

Arsenal have opened talks with Manchester City for the possible transfer of Portuguese international Joao Cancelo this summer.

The 29-year-old is set to leave Manchester City this summer after being pushed out on loan in January, a surprise move for a player who was previously one of Pep Guardiola’s outstanding performers.

Cancelo became an important player for Bayern Munich, but the Bundesliga have not made the deal permanent having been reluctant to meet the £60 million buy-out clause included in his loan contract. The German outfit opted not to activate their option to buy the 29-year-old defender, allowing Arsenal, Real Madrid, and Barcelona into the race to sign him.

Arsenal has now emerged as a prospective candidate that could sign Joao Cancelo. The London club’s coach, Arteta previously worked with the player during his time with Man City.

Arteta raided Etihad last summer, signing Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko, and could be set to do the same again this year. Both Jesus and Zinchenko helped raise the Gunners’ performance levels drastically as they challenged City for the Premier League title.

There is a concern at the Emirates Stadium that the Premier League champions may be reluctant to do business with Arsenal this summer after seeing the positive impact Jesus and Zinchenko had in transforming the north London outfit into title challengers.

Despite Arsenal engaging in early talks for the player, Cancelo’s preference has been revealed to be a move to Spain, with Real Madrid and Barcelona the leading candidates.

A German news outlet reported that Cancelo wishes to join either of the Spanish giants in a deal that could be up to €50 million (£43 million). City is said to be reluctant to sanction another loan deal for the 29-year-old, with the player’s contract expiring in four years having agreed to a two-year extension on his original six-year deal just last summer.

Barcelona’s financial situation means they will need to move on a number of players this summer as they prioritize bringing Lionel Messi back to the Nou Camp.

Madrid are keen on strengthening their defensive options but are focusing on signing a replacement for Karim Benzema for now. It is also alleged that the Spanish club is prioritizing moves for Jude Bellingham, Kylian Mbappe, and Harry Kane.

This could leave Arsenal with the ability to make a swift move to secure a deal for Cancelo. Although, midfield reinforcements are set to be a bigger priority, with a big-money move to bring Declan Rice to the club thought to be a priority.