Joao Cancelo will return to Manchester City this summer, according to Bayern Munich, after deciding against a quick transfer after his loan stint.
The league champions in Germany have determined that his £61.6 million buy-out clause is not justified. In the midst of a disagreement with City manager Pep Guardiola, Cancelo signed a transfer in January.
He was hired by Julian Nagelsmann, but after just nine games, Thomas Tuchel took over as manager during the March international window.
Under Nagelsmann, Cancelo started six of his nine games and scored a goal and four assists. Under Tuchel, Cancelo started nine of his 12 games and scored just two assists. In two of those appearances, parent club City was the opponent in the Champions League quarterfinals.
He participated in the first leg at the Etihad as a replacement in the second half, and some sections of the home crowd booed him a lot. His future at City is still uncertain because he struggled with his form prior to leaving for the new year.
Thank you for your efforts at #FCBayern, João Cancelo and Daley Blind 🔴⚪
Wishing you both all the best for the future! 👋 pic.twitter.com/EAnmNsoZ7C
— FC Bayern Munich (@FCBayernEN) June 30, 2023
Cancelo was worried about his playing time following the World Cup since Nathan Ake temporarily took over his position. Up until that point, Cancelo had played the most minutes of any City defender.
After Guardiola decided against bringing in a replacement with just 36 hours remaining in the winter transfer window, Ake and Mani Akanji were primarily used at left-back for the remainder of the season.
Guardiola hinted earlier this month that he wanted to let Cancelo depart in January when he said: “The reality was that we decided that he had to leave and we didn’t care where he was going, even if he wanted to go to [Manchester] United, which is our rival.”
Guardiola continued, “This is a matter of Txiki [Begiristain, sporting director], of City, of his representative, and of the club that loves him.” in reference to the full-back’s future at City.