Arsenal and Manchester City enter talks over swap deal: Reports
Arsenal and Manchester City have reportedly started talks over a possible swap deal involving full-backs Kieran Tierney and Joao Cancelo.
As per a report in FootballTransfers, Arsenal want to sign the Portuguese full-back from the Cityzens while Pep Guardiola's side are interested in the Scottish left-back. Both sides feel they can benefit from a swap deal, but the Gunners might have to fork out some cash along with the player.
News broke earlier on Wednesday of Arsenal's interest in Cancelo. The Portuguese star is currently on loan at Bayern Munich, who are reluctant to activate the €70 million option to buy in the deal.
Pep Guardiola wants a left-back signed this summer and his team have shown interest in Tierney. The 25-year-old Scot is looking to leave the Emirates as Oleksandr Zinchenko has taken over as the first choice for Mikel Arteta.
Manchester City target told to stay at Arsenal by Bacary Sagna
Kieran Tierney has been linked with an exit from Arsenal for the last few months as he is looking for regular playing time. However, former Gunners right-back Bacary Sagna - who left the Emirates for Manchester City in 2014 - has urged Tierney to remain at the London club.
Sagna told SportingPost:
"I wouldn't leave the club. He needs to fight to play and come back into the manager's plan. He is part of what's becoming one of the best clubs in England, so where is he going to go? Of course you want to be able to play but sometimes you need to be out of your comfort zone, and he's out of his comfort zone now. So it's time to fight, not just leave and give up."
Sagna added:
"What's the point of going somewhere where you know that you're going to start no matter what, and you're going to play - you're not going to progress in that environment. I had the same choice when I left Arsenal, because I was playing in a comfortable position. I could have stayed and yes, I was playing. But at some point, if you want to try and get better and you want to challenge yourself, you need to be out of your comfort zone."
Barcelona have also shown interest in Cancelo, while Tierney has reportedly generated interest from other Premier League clubs.