Manchester City full-back suffers knee ligament injury in major blow to club plans

Joao Cancelo has suffered a knee ligament injury during his season-long loan at Barcelona, throwing a potential permanent transfer into doubt.

The 29-year-old completed a season-long loan switch to Barcelona on Deadline Day in September, after Bayern Munich opted against signing the full-back following a short spell in Bavaria in 2023.

Cancelo, who dramatically moved to Bayern Munich last January after a reported training ground bust-up at the City Football Academy, was unable to complete a permanent exit from Manchester City during the summer.

Barcelona had hoped to sign the Portugal international permanently next summer, with the defender having made 22 appearances across La Liga and the UEFA Champions League so far this season.

Cancelo has been directly involved in five goals for the Catalan club, but is contracted at the Etihad Stadium until 2027, having penned a long-term deal less than 12 months before quitting the club.

The defender, who made 154 starts for the Blues, was part of Pep Guardiola’s squad for a pre-season tour of Asia, but didn’t feature in the FA Community Shield loss to Arsenal at Wembley Stadium.

The 29-year-olds season and a potential summer transfer have been thrown into doubt however, after reports from Spain revealed that the defender suffered a knee ligament injury against Las Palmas.

Cancelo was forced off in the 9th minute as a result of the problem, and tests have confirmed an MCL strain, Fabrizio Romano revealed.

Barcelona, who are currently third in La Liga, are seven points adrift of Real Madrid and City Football Group side Girona, who occupy the first and second spots respectively.

Cancelo wasn’t the only former Manchester City player to swap the Etihad Stadium for the Spotify Camp Nou last summer, with Ilkay Gundogan also signing for Barcelona.