Joao Cancelo returns to Man City training following Barcelona loan with transfer future uncertain | OneFootball

Manchester City’s Joao Cancelo returned to first-team training on Tuesday alongside a number of other stars following their extended summer breaks, City Xtra can reveal.

Pep Guardiola selected a restricted 27-man squad for the club’s pre-season tour of the United States, largely made up of Academy starlets to compliment the few first-team regulars he had available, including the likes of Erling Haaland and Jack Grealish.

The squad was later expanded to 29 players following the opening game of the four-match schedule against Celtic in North Carolina, with Croatian duo Mateo Kovacic and Josko Gvardiola joining the squad in New York City.

Completing the final three games against AC Milan, FC Barcelona, and Chelsea, Manchester City have now returned to the City Football Academy to step up their preparations ahead of the meeting with local rivals Manchester United in the FA Community Shield.

And Pep Guardiola will no doubt be boosted by the returning of 10 senior first-team players to his options in training, including the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, Ruben Dias, Jeremy Doku, and new summer signing, Savinho.

But among the more settled names and those with a longer-term future at the Etihad Stadium, City Xtra can also reveal that Joao Cancelo was alongside those to return to Manchester City first-team training on Tuesday.

The Portugal international continues to face an uncertain future at the Etihad Stadium this summer, with the understanding being that the player is keen on a return to FC Barcelona, where he spent last season on loan from the Premier League champions.

As for the La Liga club, they share a similar feeling and would welcome the player back into their squad for the new campaign, with manager Hansi Flick retaining an admiration for a player that was originally recruited by former coach Xavi.

It is the fourth successive transfer window where Cancelo has been at the centre of transfer rumours, with the January market of 2023 seeing the player force through a six-month loan deal to Bayern Munich having fallen out of favour under Pep Guardiola.

The German club would ultimately reject the opportunity to make their temporary agreement a permanent one via a €70 million option to buy, opening the door for Barcelona to secure the player’s services for 12 months.

It remains to be seen what sort of proposal Barcelona could tempt Manchester City with, and whether officials at the Etihad Stadium would be willing to sanction another temporary agreement, with their preference being a permanent exit this summer.

Joao Cancelo remains contracted at the Etihad Stadium until the summer of 2027.