According to well-respected journalist Fabrizio Romano, Arsenal are interested in signing Manchester City defender Joao Cancelo this summer.
Cancelo signed for Bayern Munich on loan from Manchester City last winter after falling out-of-favour under manager Pep Guardiola. He was a regular starter for the German champions under new boss Thomas Tuchel but they have decided against triggering the option to buy him for £61 million, as per Romano.
Romano has added that Arsenal ‘appreciate’ the Portugal international and he is one of the names on their summer wishlist. Barcelona also have a genuine interest in signing the former Valencia man but a transfer depends on the Financial Fair Play situation.
Quality
Cancelo has been one of the Premier League’s best full-backs over the past few years. He had a good start to the campaign with City but lost his spot after the World Cup. He subsequently fell out with Guardiola before leaving for Bayern on loan.
The Portuguese is likely to pursue another new club this summer and Arsenal could be a tempting destination for him. His former City teammates Oleksandr Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus have excelled since joining the north London giants.
Cancelo could have a similar influence on the young Gunners squad. At the moment, Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu are the right-back choices for Arsenal but the latter has been ruled out for an undefined period after a knee surgery.
Elsewhere, Zinchenko and Kieran Tierney are the left-back picks for manager Mikel Arteta. Tierney has been consistently associated with a move to Newcastle United and a transfer could materialise during the next transfer window.
A player of Cancelo’s skill and experience could be an assured starter at Arsenal. He could easily slot into either full-back role and would settle in quickly as he is accustomed to the playing style which is similar to Guardiola’s at City.
Barcelona are Arsenal’s main rivals for the defender but they could struggle to spend amid Financial Fair Play concerns. It has been recently reported that Man City could accept £35 million to sanction the departure of Cancelo.
