Transfer insider Fabrizio Romano has revealed Real Madrid had the chance to sign Joao Cancelo in January, but rejected him to keep the same squad.
Cancelo’s exit from City came from pretty much nowhere. Indeed, he’d been a fixture of City’s side for most of the season, as he had the season prior.
The full-back missed just two Premier League games that he was available for last season. This term, he was missing for three of the last five league games, seemingly having been omitted by Pep Guardiola.
In what seemed like the blink of an eye at the end of the January window, Bayern Munich’s pursuit was reported and he was gone – being loaned out until the end of the season.
That he had been left out of the starting XI for a few games and then wanted to leave seemed to go hand in hand. Indeed, it would not be a surprise if a player of his quality was disappointed at being left out.
Guardiola’s recent comments on his departure seem to match up with that.
Indeed, the Spanish manager said in his press conference that Cancelo “wants to play every single game”.
He added that the full-back needs to play “to be happy”. As such, sitting on the bench for the entirety of the games against Everton, Tottenham and Wolves would have been hard for him.
Romano reveals Real rejected Cancelo
While Cancelo made the loan move to Bayern, with the German side now having an option to buy the Portugal international, they were not the only side that could have signed him.
Indeed, transfer insider Romano reports two Spanish clubs were also given the chance to sign him.
“Barcelona was almost impossible because of the salary of the player,” he said on his YouTube channel.
“Real Madrid was also an option, but they decided not to sign any players in January.”
Real rejection a blow for Cancelo
Being rejected by Real is a kick in the teeth for Cancelo. Indeed, he played three seasons in La Liga with Valencia, so he knows the league well.
As such, he could have returned with a good grasp of the style, but with the benefit of being at one of the league’s best sides.
Real’s rejection is also a blow for another reason. Indeed, the Bernabeu outfit are second in the league, and rather than take the full-back on free of charge for a period, they decided against the move.
That means they feel their chances of surpassing Barcelona – who are five points better off – are better without Cancelo.
Still, he’s got a pretty good deal by moving to Bayern. He joins a team who regularly dominate their league, and who won their Champions League group, getting a favourable draw and now a good chance at going deep in the tournament.
What’s more, he’s already had an impact, registering an assist in his first game – a 4-0 win in the DFB Pokal.
