Man City star snubs £60m Arsenal switch in major blow for Mikel Arteta; Guardiola set to offload outcast | OneFootball

Arsenal have received a significant blow in their pursuit of Manchester City full-back Joao Cancelo, according to reports.

Mikel Arteta is thought to be a huge fan of the Portugal international. But, it now seems the manager will have to look elsewhere for defensive recruits.

Indeed, with Kieran Tierney looking set to leave the Emirates this summer, a new left-back will be one of Arsenal’s transfer priorities.

Newcastle have been heavily linked with Tierney for some time. So, the Gunners are preparing for his departure.

As reported by Football365, Cancelo is thought to be at the top of Arteta’s transfer shortlist.

The 29-year-old signed for Bayern Munich on loan in January, where he made 21 appearances. In the process, he scored one goal and made six assists.

Despite his good form, the German giants turned down the opportunity to sign Cancelo permanently for a fee of £60m.

The official reason for Cancelo’s departure from Man City was that he wanted more playing time. However, there have been rumours of a fallout between him and Pep Guardiola.

Now, the Cityzens are set to offload Cancelo again this summer – either on a temporary or permanent basis.

However, reports suggest that Arsenal will not be the Portuguese star’s next destination.

This is according to German outlet Abendzeitung, who claim Cancelo is ‘not interested in joining the Gunners or staying at Man City.’

Instead, he is allegedly more focused on securing a move away from the Premier League.

For instance, Barcelona have had an interest in Cancelo for some time, seeing a loan offer for him turned down by Man City in January.

But, given their financial issues, they would struggle to sign him permanently, so would have to convince the Cityzens to loan Cancelo out again.

As for Arsenal, they will now have to switch their attention to alternative transfer targets.

Next season presents fresh challenges to Arteta and his team, as they look to maintain their spot at the top of the Premier League, as well as compete in the Champions League.

In a recent interview, Arteta admitted that changes to his squad would have to be made.

“I am really interested in understanding, reflecting and analysing what we have in the house and what resources we have already,” the manager said after Arsenal’s match against Wolves.

“How we can improve and how we can maximise and take players to a different level, the ones we haven’t got everything from. Then the bonus will be to make those decisions and improve the team.

“But, as well, we don’t want to lose that cohesion that exists around the team and that understanding. Hopefully we make the right decisions.”

With that in mind, it will be an interesting transfer window for Arsenal fans. However, it doesn’t look like Cancelo will be joining Arsenal anytime soon.

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