Manchester City have opted to make the odd decision to allow star defender Joao Cancelo to leave on loan for the remainder of the season, with the Portuguese star on the verge of joining German giants Bayern Munich.
Cancelo has been a key part of Manchester City’s last two Premier League title wins, and started the season strongly after inheriting the no.7 shirt over the summer, appearing in the first 17 Premier League games of the season. However, he has been among the substitutes for the last two, and was overlooked in the FA Cup fourth round against Arsenal, with Nathan Ake deputising at left back.
That, plus the emergence of Rico Lewis on the right flank, has seemingly been evidence enough to persuade City to cash in on Cancelo, with an option to buy the Portuguese defender set at 70m euros and included in his loan to Bayern.
What next for City?
However, the move away seemingly leaves Manchester City short at full-back, with Nathan Ake the only obvious senior left-back option and youngster Sergio Gomez not fully trusted as it stands since his move from Anderlecht in the summer.
Despite this, however, reports claim that they will not be on the hunt for another defender in the dying days of the transfer window, with John Stones, Rico Lewis and Kyle Walker all able to play on the right side of defence.
“With the performance of Nathan Ake at left-back, the strength at centre-back, and the emergence of rookie right-back Rico Lewis, the feeling within the club is that there is enough cover to do without Cancelo without needing an extra body”, the Manchester Evening News report.
