BAYERN MUNICH have completed their shock swoop for Manchester City’s unsettled defender Joao Cancelo.
SunSport revealed last week that several clubs were monitoring the former Juventus star’s situation after he lost his place at the Etihad.
Joao Cancelo has signed for Bayern Munich on loanTwitter
APThe defender fell out with Pep Guardiola at City after being dropped[/caption]
AC Milan were among them but Bayern made significant progress over the weekend.
And they announced the Portugal international’s services on an initial loan deal on deadline day.
The defender – who will wear the No22 at the Allianz Arena – said: “Bayern is a great club, one of the best in the world, and it’s an enormous motivation for me to now play alongside these extraordinary players in a team.
“I know that this club lives for titles and wins titles every year.
“I’m also driven by the hunger for success. I’ll give my best for FC Bayern.”
Cancelo arrived in Munich on Monday before undergoing a medical.
SunSport understands the shock deal includes an option to buy the 28-year-old at the end of the season for around £61.5million.
That would see the English champs make a small profit on the player they signed in a £60m deal three-and-a-half years ago.
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Even so, it would still be a surprise move for Man City given their well-documented problems in the full-back areas.
Yet, his career at City has stalled since he returned from the World Cup last month.
He started the defeats against Southampton and Man Utd but was an unused sub in the two games which followed.
His only other start since the restart was the win at Chelsea – but he was hauled off at half-time by Pep Guardiola.
The Etihad boss has opted to use youngster Rico Lewis and centre-back Nathan Ake as his full-backs recently.
The former Juve man was an unused sub in the FA Cup win over Arsenal on Friday night and post-match Guardiola referred to him as “Mr Cancelo” – hinting at a possible problem.
Cancelo only signed a contract extension with City 12 months ago and is currently tied to the club until summer 2027.
Fellow full-back Kyle Walker has also found himself marginalised this season – and that has seen Turkish giants Fenerbahce show an interest – while Antonee Robinson is a £20m summer target.
Cancelo is believed to have brought the offer from Bayern to City’s attention and the champions decided to listen.
PAJoao Cancelo’s form has dipped since he returned from the World Cup[/caption]
They are aware he wants to play more regularly and felt that may not happen for the remainder of the season at the Etihad.
Guardiola has been utilising a different style and formation recently and does not feel Cancelo’s game is best suited to it.
The speed of Rico Lewis’ emergence has taken Guardiola by surprise and gives him valuable cover in the full-back area.
While City’s only recognised left-back is Spanish youngster Sergio Gomez, both Nathan Ake and Aymeric Laporte can fill in there.
The signing of Manuel Akanji in the summer means Pep now has five centre-backs in his squad so playing one out of position is not seen as a major problem.