Joao Cancelo releases statement on Instagram on Manchester City future

Manchester City defender Joao Cancelo has released a final statement on his Instagram page ahead of completing a move to Bayern Munich today.

The Portugal international defender is expected to sign on an initial loan deal until the end of the ongoing season, with the Bundesliga champions holding a €70 million option to buy the player on a permanent deal at the end of the campaign.

Joao Cancelo travelled to Munich on Monday afternoon, after talks between the two clubs over the format of the deal were finalised across the course of the weekend, and the defender completed his medical tests across the following hours.

Now, ahead of the official announcements from both clubs, Joao Cancelo has released a statement on his Instagram page accompanying a highlights reel of his best moments at Manchester City, produced by his team.

Cancelo wrote, “Once a Cityzen, always a Cityzen. Thank you.”

Ruben Dias, Ederson, and Josh Wilson-Esbrand have been among the first to wave farewell to their now-former Manchester City teammate, all replying with blue hearts in the comments section with the latter stating, “Best of luck, brother!”

While some supporters are hoping that Manchester City will seek a replacement during the hours that remain in the January transfer window, the current understanding is that that will not be the case.

The club are understood to be content with the remaining options they have available in defence, and specifically at full-back.

Nathan Ake, Aymeric Laporte, and Sergio Gomez will likely be Manchester City’s left-back options for the rest of the season, while Rico Lewis, Kyle Walker, John Stones, and Manuel Akanji will be utilised at the right-back slot.

Pep Guardiola’s defenders and their flexibility to move around the back-four means that the Manchester City boss can also chop and change the system for various matches, as we have already seen this season.

As for Joao Cancelo, there remains the possibility that he could yet face his former club this season, with Uefa rules stating that he would be eligible to take on Manchester City, should the two sides meet in the Champions League.