Manchester City could deliver a major blow to Arsenal's hopes of signing Joao Cancelo in order to engineer a swap deal with Bayern Munich. The 28-year-old defender has been heavily linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium lately, with the German giants seemingly unlikely to keep him on a permanent basis as things stand.
Cancelo joined the Bavarians on loan in January in search of greater first-team opportunities after he was dropped for Rico Lewis, but his time at the Allianz Arena hasn't quite gone to plan. The Portugal international has featured 14 times for Bayern in the Bundesliga this term, directly contributing towards five goals.
While Cancelo has continued to showcase his excellent ability, the German giants have been knocked out of both the DFB Pokal and the Champions League since his arrival. Meanwhile, his parent club, City, have just won a fifth Premier League title in six years and they still have two major finals yet to play.
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Nevertheless, Cancelo, who reportedly has a £60million asking price, is expected to leave the Etihad Stadium in the summer and he's been heavily linked with a move to Arsenal. However, according to the Sunday Mirror, City will propose a swap deal to Bayern which would allow them to keep the Portuguese star in exchange for Joshua Kimmich, who has also emerged as a possible Gunners target this summer.
The report states that Guardiola is 'adamant' that Cancelo is no longer part of his plans after reportedly disrupting the dressing room following his return from the World Cup in December. While Mikel Arteta may once been optimistic of signing the versatile defender, City look set to puff their chest and crush the Gunners' hopes.
Ahead of Bayern's 3-1 home defeat to RB Leipzig on Saturday afternoon, Thomas Tuchel issued an update on Cancelo's future. The former Chelsea boss said: "I have the impression that he feels very comfortable here.
"But in the end all parties are part of the decision. His desire in training is unique. I have the feeling that he is really happy here. We’ll discuss everything else after the end of the season."
If City are to beat Arsenal to the signing of Kimmich then they must also fend off Barcelona. According to Spanish publication Marca, the Catalan side have identified the Germany international as a replacement for Sergio Busquets, who is leaving the Camp Nou this summer.
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