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Bayern Munich bolstered its struggling team on Tuesday with the loan signing of Portugal left back Joao Cancelo from Manchester City.
Cancelo, 28, joined Bayern on “an initial deal through the end of the current season,” according to Bayern. For a fee of 70 million euros ($76 million), the German club can make the transfer permanent.
Bayern coach Julian Nagelsmann stated that the agreement was “very spontaneous” and came together following Bayern’s last game on Saturday.
“(Bayern sporting director) Hasan Salihamidi told us we had a chance. “I then said, ‘We’re going to do it,'” Nagelsmann explained.
Cancelo may make his Bayern Munich debut against Mainz in the German Cup on Wednesday. But the final decision is yet to come.
Cancelo, who scored five goals and set up 11 more for City in 98 Premier League games, will give Bayern more defensive security and an added attacking threat ahead of a Champions League match against PSG next month.
“João is a player we’ve been thinking about for a while now because we very much appreciate his qualities. “With his attacking style of play and dynamism, he’s the ideal fit in our system, and his mentality and experience fit very well in our team,” Salihamidi said.
Cancelo can play on the left or right, providing Bayern with much-needed versatility after left-sided defender Lucas Hernández injured his knee at the World Cup and right back Noussair Mazraoui suffered inflamed tissue around his heart as a result of a COVID-19 infection. Bayern signed free agent Daley Blind as a replacement this month, but he has yet to play, and Benjamin Pavard’s form at right back has also been inconsistent.
Bayern has struggled this season, drawing three consecutive 1-1 draws against Leipzig, Cologne, and Eintracht Frankfurt. The team’s lead in the Bundesliga has shrunk from four points before the winter break to one point. Union Berlin, Leipzig, and Borussia Dortmund are all three points behind.
“Bayern is a great club, one of the best in the world. It is enormous motivation for me to now play in a team alongside these extraordinary players,” said Cancelo. “I know that this club, this team, lives for and wins titles every year. I’m also motivated by a desire for success.”
