Bayern signs defensive player Cancelo from Manchester City

By Nathalia Araújo, dpa I Wednesday, February 1, 2023

 

BAYERN – Bayern Munich have signed Portugal international João Cancelo on a loan from Manchester City until the end of the season, the Bundesliga leaders said on Tuesday.

Bayern will have the possibility of signing the defender permanently in the summer.

“João is a player we’ve been thinking about for a while now because we very much appreciate his qualities. He’s the optimal fit in our system with his attacking style of play and dynamism, and his mentality and experience fit very well in our team,” board member for sport Hasan Salihamidzic said.

Cancelo added: “Bayern is a great club, one of the best in the world, and it’s enormous motivation for me to now play alongside these extraordinary players in a team.”

He said during his official presentation that he’s ready to play on Wednesday against Mainz in the German Cup. However, coach Julian Nagelsmann told a news conference he hasn’t decided yet whether the defender will play.

“He’s fit, he’s theoretically able to play. I’m not sure yet. We have many fit players. We have to find a common ground between stability and the excitement of trying something new,” Nagelsmann said.

“He can feature in a number of positions and is a very attacking-minded defender. He’s got a different character to some of the other players at his position. It’s a logical signing for us,” the coach praised.

Cancelo moved from Juventus to City in 2019, where he’s made 154 competitive appearances and scored nine goals. The defender stressed his move to Bayern had nothing to do with his relationship with City coach Pep Guardiola.

“Exactly because of that I decided for the transfer, because I haven’t been playing much in the past few weeks, it has nothing to do with my relationship with Pep,” he said.

Salihamidzic that everything happened “relatively quickly. When we saw the opportunity and talked to Joao’s management, we quickly decided to sign him.”

Asked whether he plans to stay at Bayern only until summer, Cancelo explained that he wants to “keep my mind clear” and talk about this at the end of the season.