According to well-respected journalist Fabrizio Romano, Arsenal are interested in signing Manchester City full-back Joao Cancelo this summer.
The Portuguese star made a surprise loan switch to Bayern Munich from Man City on January 31 after falling out with manager Pep Guardiola over playing time. Cancelo has made 21 appearances for Bayern but he will return to the Etihad Stadium as they are not expected to trigger the £60 million buy clause.
The door is now open for another European club to sign him and speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Romano has confirmed that Arsenal are interested and they have had some contact. The well-admired journalist added that the club have very good relationship with agents and Cancelo’s name has been discussed.
He said: “For Cancelo, yes, they are interested. They had some contact, and they have very good relationship with these agents. So there was a conversation over the possibility to sign Cancelo.”
Possible deal
Arsenal are currently uncertain over the future of left-back Kieran Tierney amid interest from Newcastle United as well as Aston Villa. The Scot was largely limited to a bench role in the Premier League in the recent campaign, and it looks likely that he will head for the exit door in the forthcoming weeks.
On the other hand, right-back Takehiro Tomiyasu is on a long road to recovery after his knee surgery in March. Gunners manager Mikel Arteta recently hinted that he could be out until September, but an untimely setback could delay his recovery further. With this mind, the club could invest in both full-back positions.
Cancelo would be a perfect signing for the London giants to occupy both positions. He is well accustomed to the playing style, with Arteta adopting a similar tactical philosophy as Guardiola. The ex-Inter Milan star could be a regular starter for Arsenal, but the big question mark is whether they can afford his signature.
Even if Man City lower their demands, Arsenal will have to pay a sizeable transfer fee for the Portuguese alongside his hefty £250,000-a-week wages. There is also interest from Barcelona with manager Xavi publicly confirming that they wanted to sign him in January. Hence, a deal won’t be easy to pull off for Arsenal.
