€25m Arsenal-linked star aware his City ‘career is over’ as he ‘doesn’t want’ to work with Guardiola | OneFootball

FC Barcelona pair Joao Cancelo and Ilkay Gundogan.

According to reports, FC Barcelona loanee Joao Cancelo is aware that his Manchester City ‘career is over’ amid interest from Arsenal.

After joining Man City in 2019 from Juventus for around £27m, Cancelo established himself as a key player under Pep Guardiola and one of the best full-backs in the Premier League.

But Cancelo’s relationship with Guardiola became strained last season after the respected head coach decided against starting the defender in several key fixtures.

Cancelo was sent out on loan to German giants Bayern Munich in January and after this move did not work out as intended, he joined Barcelona ahead of this season.

This stint has been more successful as he has grabbed three goals and two assists in his 16 appearances across all competitions.

Cancelo’s move to Barcelona was structured as a loan deal so they could get around their financial issues but they will be hoping to sign him permanently next year.

Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo (via Sport Witness) claims Barcelona are ‘seriously considering’ buying Cancelo and Joao Felix on a permanent basis in January.

The La Liga giants have reportedly seen enough from Cancelo and Felix to tempt them to ‘move forward’ with their pursuits of permanent deals.

It is said that the two players are ‘prioritising’ a longer stay at Barcelona, while Cancelo has made it clear that he ‘doesn’t want’ to work with Guardiola so his ‘career at Man City is over’.

and this move would enable him to reunite with Mikel Arteta, who was previously Guardiola’s assistant at the Etihad.

The Gunners could opt to renew their interest in Cancelo if Barcelona cannot agree a fee with Man City. The report finishes by saying the Portugal international is ‘valued at €25m’, but the Spanish outfit cheekily hopes to ‘lower the asking price to €15m’.

Back in October, Barcelona sporting director Deco admitted it is “too early” to talk about a permanent transfer involving Cancelo.

“In the case of Cancelo, he is a player with experience, who has played at a high level in several teams for many years, he has quite a command of his position. Felix is more of the same, somewhat younger, but with experience already at Benfica, Atletico and Chelsea,” Deco said.

“They are players who are contributing important things to the team but it is too early to talk about everything. At the moment they are helping us, which is what matters.”