Man City Targets Shock Premier League Rival for Joao Cancelo Replacement in Summer Transfer Window
According to rumors, Manchester City are already prepared for life without full-back Joao Cancelo and may pursue a big name from a rival Premier League team.
Cancelo joined City in August 2019 from Juventus. According to Sky Sports, City paid Juve £26 million for the Portuguese and sent Danilo to Italy as part of the transaction.
Cancelo, who played a hybrid role between full-back and winger under Pep Guardiola, was a revelation. In 2020-21, he was named to the PFA Premier League Team of the Year for the first time as City won the title by 14 points.
Last season, the 28-year-old was named to the PFA Team of the Year for the second time. He had one goal and seven assists in 36 league appearances as City won the English title by one point over Liverpool.
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Cancelo has had a strong start to the current season. He was unable to reproduce this form after returning from the Qatar World Cup.
He subsequently lost his starting berth, fueling speculation about a rift with Guardiola.
Cancelo made news on January 30 when it was claimed that he was on the verge of joining Bayern Munich. And that transfer was completed on deadline day.
The player has joined Bayern on loan for the time being, with the German giants having the option to make the move permanent in the summer for €70 million (£61.5 million).
Man City require a left-back solution.
Cancelo is unlikely to return to the Etihad after the season ends. He wants assurances that he will play in almost every major match, which Guardiola is hesitant to deliver.
As a result, Guardiola and City are on the lookout for possible left-back replacements. The Times speculates that they could target Premier League rivals Chelsea for Ben Chilwell.
Chelsea look ready to unload a variety of players this summer to make space in the squad and get some money back in after adding as many as eight stars in January. And Chilwell could be one of them who leaves.
According to the report, Guardiola wanted Chilwell before his move from Leicester to Chelsea in August 2020 and is now looking for the England international again.
He is claimed to be ‘pleased’ with the addition of Chilwell as Cancelo’s successor.
While he appears to be content at Stamford Bridge, this could change in the future. He is now suffering from a hamstring injury, but if he is unable to replace Marc Cucurella when he returns, a transfer to City could become appealing.
Guardiola is looking for three fresh players.
The emergence of Arsenal as league leaders has taken City by surprise. As a result, they plan to improve many positions over the summer. Given Cancelo’s departure, they will prioritize a left-back, but they will also look for a new central midfielder and winger.
Chelsea would have to be persuaded to allow Chilwell leave for another English club. After all, Chelsea wants to reclaim the title and will not want to strengthen City’s position.
However, the Citizens have previously demonstrated that they are willing to spend large sums of money to support Guardiola and give him the best opportunity of winning a trophy. As a result, it would not be surprising if a large-money bid for Chilwell were launched later this year. Then it will be up to Chelsea to accept or tell them to look elsewhere.
