Manchester City facing Joao Cancelo dilemma as Bayern Munich stance on permanent transfer revealed

Manchester City will have a decision to make in the summer, as reports out of Germany suggest that Bayern Munich will not activate the purchase option in Joao Cancelo’s loan deal.

The Portuguese full-back left the Etihad outfit during the January transfer window in an effort to get more playing time at Bayern.

And while life in Munich did get off to a fast start for Cancelo, his playing time has dwindled in recent weeks.

After the recent appointment of Thomas Tuchel as Bayern boss, the 28 year-olds role at the Allianz Arena could be even more up in the air.

According to German outlet Kicker, Bayern will not activate the €70 million purchase option inserted in Cancelo’s loan deal at the end of the season.

Some reports have even suggested that the Bundesliga club have quickly become fed up with Cancelo’s attitude in training, and his reactions to a lack of recent playing time.

While the Portuguese international was a key cog in both of City’s 2020/21 and 2021/22 title winning campaigns, his future at the Etihad is equally murky after making a hasty exit for Germany in January.

Compounding the tough decision for Pep Guardiola and the rest of the City decision makers is the the City’s boss’ recent switch to a back-three system, which could see Cancelo’s past role in the team become redundant.

However, all of this is headlined by the fact that any club interested in swooping in for Cancelo in the summer would likely have to pay a hefty fee to earn his signature, as the full-back signed a new contract at the Etihad which could keep him in sky-blue until 2027.

While the Etihad hierarchy appear to not yet have their minds made up on Cancelo’s future, it is no secret that some fractured relationships would need to be mended should he don the City shirt once again, after a reported training bust-up prior to a surprise loan move earlier this year.

City face Bayern Munich in the first-leg of the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals next Tuesday, with Cancelo primed to return to the Etihad Stadium, where he is available to play against his parent club.

The winners of the crunch clash between the Premier League and Bundesliga champions will meet Chelsea or Real Madrid in the semi-finals next month.