Official: Joao Cancelo completes loan move from Manchester City to Bayern Munich

Bayern Munich have signed Manchester City full-back Joao Cancelo on-loan until the end of the season.

The Bundesliga giants have signed Joao Cancelo for the remainder of the 2022/23 campaign, with Bayern Munich having the option to sign the 28 year-old on a permanent deal for €70 million in the summer.

Cancelo, who moved to the Etihad Stadium from Juventus in 2019, has made 154 appearances and won four trophies with the Sky Blues.

The Portugal international helped Manchester City to two Premier League titles and also won the Carabao Cup twice.

Over the course of four seasons, Cancelo made 138 starts, scored nine goals and won 110 matches.

The 28 year-old also recorded 11 Premier League assists.

Cancelo departs the Premier League champions in dramatic circumstances, having started just three of the Blues’ last ten matches and amidst a controversial backdrop.

The Portuguese full-back penned a new contract until 2027 just last year, but leaves after a reported bust-up with manager Pep Guardiola and having become ‘disruptive’ to the first-team squad.

Confirming the 28 year-olds departure in a short statement, Manchester City said: “Joao Cancelo has joined Bayern Munich on loan until the end of the season.

“The 28-year-old joined City from Juventus in 2019, following spells in Spain and his native Portugal.

“The Portuguese has now moved to Germany to join the Bundesliga outfit for the remainder of the 2022/23 campaign.”

Upon signing for Bayern Munich on-loan, the 28 year-old said: “FC 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.

“I know that this club, this team 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.”

Bayern Munich board member Hasan Salihamidzic said: “We’re very happy that João Cancelo will now play for FC Bayern. We’ve signed him on loan now and have the possibility of signing him 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.

“I’m convinced João will help us in the coming weeks and months where we want to win titles.”

Cancelo would be eligible to play against Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League, should the two teams meet during the remainder of the competition.