Real Madrid refused the chance to sign €70 million Manchester City defender this winter | OneFootball

Joao Cancelo’s fallout with Manchester City and subsequent move to Bayern Munich has become one of the biggest talking points of the current transfer window. The right-back is one of the best in the world in his position, and a loan move mid-season is not something many saw coming.

According to reports from ABC (h/t The Madrid Zone), the Bavarians were not the only club to be offered his signature. The Spanish outlet state that Cancelo’s agent offered his client’s services to Real Madrid too, but the European champions were not interested.

The Galacticos have been very clear about their policy of not signing any players in the winter, with Carlo Ancelotti even stressing the point in several of his press conferences. However, the decision to let go of such a massive opportunity is perplexing.

Real Madrid have struggled in the right-back department in recent games, having lost both Daniel Carvajal and Lucas Vasquez to injuries.

Ancelotti was forced to use Nacho Fernandez as a make-shift full-back to navigate through the situation. Yet, it seems that was not enough to convince the board of the need for fresh legs.

The 28-year-old made 17 appearances for Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City in the Premier League this season. He scored two goals and provided one assist in that duration, in addition to overseeing four clean sheets and over nine defensive actions per game.

Cancelo joined Bayern Munich earlier today on a loan move. The Germans have the option to make a move permanent in the summer for a fee of €70 million. Perhaps, it was the mammoth purchase clause that deterred Real Madrid from the Portuguese international’s signing. That, however, will remain a mystery.