08 February 2023 , 15:53
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Joao Cancelo's sudden and surprising exit from Manchester City saw the club forego any loan fee.
The Portuguese star joined Bayern Munich on deadline day for the remainder of the season after falling down the pecking order in recent weeks. Cancelo had been a star performer under Pep Guardiola but found himself on the bench - to the surprise of many.
It has since emerged that he and Guardiola had a falling out, with the Catalan citing the defender's behaviour as an issue, as per the Athletic. City have seen Rico Lewis thrive in recent months and, as a result, opted to let Cancelo leave without receiving any fee from Bayern, which is rare when a player of his calibre changes hands.
For context, Joao Felix has moved from Atletico Madrid to Chelsea for the rest of the season and the Blues will pay around £10million for the pleasure. Bayern sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic has told Bild that no amount has been paid, but said: "The fact that Cancelo worked without a fee is due to the network."
Bayern and City have negotiated in recent years regarding a move for Leroy Sane, who remains at the Allianz Arena. Cancelo's future beyond the end of this season is unclear but the player himself played down any spat with Guardiola, insisting his switch was about game time.
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"I've not had much game time in the past few weeks, which influenced my decision. It has nothing to do with my relationship with Pep," he said as he was unveiled as a Bayern player.
Pep Guardiola opted to green light Joao Cancelo's surprise exit (Tom Flathers/Manchester City FC via Getty Images)The German champions, who are eyeing another Bundesliga triumph, do have the option of adding Cancelo on a permanent basis for £61m - but Salihamidzic has already confessed that fee could be beyond the Bavarians. He said: "We play with open cards. The most important thing is that Joao feels comfortable in Munich and can perform in the second round. But we also told him clearly that this sum is difficult for us to imagine in the next few years."
Cancelo has already made his Bayern debut, delivering an assist in the win over Mainz. Guardiola has already spoken on the future of his current playing group following the sudden departure: "What happened with Joao makes it look like everyone is going to leave - and I'm not saying that. But at the end of every season, it happens that we talk with many players.
"That's happened ever since we arrived. Maybe next season we will continue with all the players or there might be new ones. Now the transfer window is closed, we can focus on the next four months - and afterwards, we will see what happens."