Chelsea monitoring the situation 'unhappy' Manchester City star ahead of summer transfer window: Reports
Chelsea are reportedly interested in signing Manchester City star Joao Cancelo, who is on loan at Bayern Munich, in the upcoming summer.
Cancelo, 28, secured a short-term loan switch to Bayern Munich last month in one of the most shocking deals of the winter transfer window. Since joining, he has assisted two goals in four games for his new side.
A versatile wing-back blessed with flair and passing, the Portugal international had been a regular starter for Manchester City prior to his latest move. Since arriving from Juventus in a deal worth up to £60 million in 2019, he has netted nine goals and laid out 22 assists in 154 matches across all competitions for Pep Guardiola's side.
Bayern Munich's on-loan defender João Cancelo has revealed why he pushed for an exit from Man City in the January transfer window 👀 https://t.co/STzb84GDf9
According to Calciomercato, Chelsea are keen to rope in for Cancelo amid rumors of his flailing relationship with Guardiola. Although Bayern have a purchase option of £62 million in their loan agreement, the club are unsure about spending such a high transfer fee on the Benfica youth product in the upcoming summer transfer window.
However, the Blues are currently well-stacked in their wing-back department with Reece James, Ben Chilwell, Marc Cucurella and Cesar Azpilicueta in their squad. Malo Gusto, who is on loan at Lyon, is also set to be added ahead of the upcoming 2023-24 campaign.
Chelsea would need to offload a couple of the names to accommodate Cancelo in their first-team plans. Out of all the full-backs, summer signing Cucurella could be a potential outgoing considering his struggles since his £63 million transfer from Brighton & Hove Albion.
Cancelo, on the other hand, has a deal until June 2025 at the Etihad Stadium. He would most likely be valued in the region of £62 million.
Manchester City interested in moves to sign two top Chelsea-linked midfielders: Reports
According to The Times, Manchester City have identified West Ham United captain Declan Rice and Borussia Dortmund teenager Jude Bellingham as two of their top transfer targets. Pep Guardiola's side are also interested in roping in Chelsea left-back Ben Chilwell and AC Milan forward Rafael Leao ahead of the 2023-24 campaign.
Manchester City are aiming to bring in reinforcements in their midfield as captain Ilkay Gundogan is set to depart on a free transfer, while Bernardo Silva is likely to seal a departure. Rice and Bellingham will provide elite competition to Kevin De Bruyne, Rodri, and Kalvin Phillips.
Chelsea, on the other hand, is also interested in revamping their midfield with the two England internationals in the near future. While N'Golo Kante would be offered a contract extension, the likes of Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Conor Gallagher are expected to be sold soon.