€25m Arsenal target concedes City ‘career is over’ as he ‘refuses’ to work with Guardiola

Reports suggest that Joao Cancelo, currently on loan from FC Barcelona to Manchester City, believes his career with Man City is finished due to interest from Arsenal.

Having joined Man City in 2019 for around £27m after a successful stint at Juventus, Cancelo became a key player under Pep Guardiola, solidifying his place as one of the top full-backs in the Premier League.

However, last season saw a strain in Cancelo’s relationship with Guardiola as the head coach opted not to start him in several crucial fixtures.

Following a loan spell with Bayern Munich, which did not fulfill its intended purpose, Cancelo moved to Barcelona for the current season and has fared well with three goals and two assists in 16 appearances across all competitions.

Barcelona structured Cancelo’s move as a loan deal to circumvent financial issues but is hoping to secure a permanent deal next year.

According to Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo (via Sport Witness), Barcelona is ‘seriously considering’ making Cancelo’s move permanent, along with Joao Felix, in January.

The La Liga giants are reportedly impressed enough by Cancelo and Felix to continue their pursuit of permanent deals.

It is reported that both players are considering a longer stay at Barcelona, with Cancelo expressing his reluctance to work with Guardiola, effectively ending his ‘career at Man City’.

Before joining Barcelona, Cancelo was strongly linked to a move to Arsenal, presenting an opportunity for him to reunite with Mikel Arteta, who was previously Guardiola’s assistant at Man City.

If Barcelona is unable to agree on a fee with Man City, the report suggests that Arsenal may renew their interest in Cancelo. The report also indicates that the Portugal international is ‘valued at €25m’, with Barcelona hoping to ‘lower the asking price to €15m’.

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In October, Barcelona sporting director Deco mentioned that it is “too early” to discuss a permanent transfer involving Cancelo.

Deco stated, “In the case of Cancelo, he is a player with experience, who has played at a high level in several teams for many years, he has quite a command of his position. Felix is more of the same, somewhat younger, but with experience already at Benfica, Atletico and Chelsea.”

“They are players who are contributing important things to the team but it is too early to talk about everything. At the moment they are helping us, which is what matters.”