Pep Guardiola considering shock inclusion of £25 million wantaway for Manchester City pre-season tour | OneFootball

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is ‘ready’ to name Joao Cancelo as part of his squad for next month’s pre-season tour of the United States.

The 30-year-old could be forced to join Manchester City’s pre-season preparations for a second consecutive year despite having not featured for the Sky Blues since January 2023, after the full-back was reportedly at the centre of a dramatic training ground bust-up at the City Football Academy.

Cancelo, who has made 154 appearances since signing from Juventus in August 2019, spent the recent campaign on a season-long loan at Barcelona, having previously moved to Bayern Munich on a short-term temporary transfer last year.

The Portuguese international made 42 appearances for Barcelona during the 2023/24 campaign and is hoping to return to the La Liga side next season, although a permanent transfer is currently being scuppered by Barcelona’s continued financial woes.

Manchester City are demanding a £25 million transfer fee for the full-back, with the defender having initially cost the Sky Blues £60 million and having a contract at the Etihad Stadium until 2027.

Cancelo is currently competing at the European Championship in Germany, but could also play for Manchester City again this summer, should a transfer not materialise before mid-July, when the Premier League champions begin pre-season with a tour of the United States.

Despite the major bust-up in January 2023, Guardiola could include Cancelo as part of his pre-season tour squad for a second successive season, with The Sun claiming that the full-back is set to be named in the Blues’ touring squad unless Barcelona pay the £25 million transfer fee.

Cancelo was part of Manchester City’s pre-season tour of South Korea and Japan last summer, but did not feature in any of the Blues’ competitive matches prior to signing for Barcelona on Deadline Day in September.

Guardiola’s squad will play four matches during a tour of the USA starting next month, facing friendlies against Celtic, AC Milan, Barcelona and Chelsea between Tuesday 23 July and Saturday 3 August 2024.

Manchester City’s pre-season clashes will take place across the US, with games in North Carolina, New York, Florida and Ohio.

The USA is set to become a regular destination for the Sky Blues over the next year, with Sky Blues also competing in the expanded FIFA Club World Cup in America in 2025.