Joao Cancelo has expressed frustration towards Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola and the club, asserting that “lies have been spoken!”. The Portuguese right-back, currently on loan at Barcelona, has been subject to speculation that the Catalan club will push for a permanent deal for Cancelo in the summer.
Joao Cancelo has now released a statement seemingly ruling out any prospect of his return to his parent club, Manchester City. Cancelo, 29, was a member of the Manchester City squad that clinched back-to-back Premier League titles in 2021 and 2022, but he was loaned out to Bayern Munich midway through the historic treble-winning season. Subsequently, Manchester City continued to loan Cancelo to Barcelona for a season.
Cancelo’s contract with Manchester City runs until 2027, but his recent comments regarding Manchester City and Pep Guardiola seem to have closed any doors for his potential return to the club.
Joao Cancelo accuses “lies have been spoken” at Manchester City, labeling Manchester City as “ungrateful,” while also asserting that the players listen to Pep Guardiola more than they believe in his words.
Joao Cancelo made an impression at Camp Nou this season by scoring in Barcelona’s victory over Napoli in the Champions League round of 16. Barcelona is keen on securing Cancelo permanently, but issues regarding the transfer fee are a cause for concern.
Now, Joao Cancelo shared with Bola: “Lies have been spoken! I have never been a bad teammate to them, and you can ask Nathan Ake or Rico Lewis. I harbor no feelings of resentment or ego towards them, but that’s the manager’s opinion.
I think Manchester City is a bit ungrateful to me when they say that, because I was a very important player in the years I was there. I have never failed in my commitment to the club, to the fans, and I always give my all. I remember one time I was robbed and assaulted, and the next day I played at the Emirates against Arsenal.
These are things you don’t forget, I left my wife and daughter alone at home, they were extremely frightened. People will only remember this because Pep Guardiola holds much more power than I do when he says something, and I prefer to keep to myself. I know I’m speaking the truth, I feel satisfied with what I’ve done.
I am transparent, I never lie. Life goes on and I hope everything turns out well, because I love football and my team. They (Barcelona) are still the favorite team to win the Champions League”.
When Cancelo moved to Bayern Munich on loan, Spanish coach Pep Guardiola stated that he would consider whether Cancelo would return to Manchester City at the end of the 2023 season.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola shared: “First of all, I wish Joao Cancelo all the best. Next season, I don’t know what will happen. In the last 2 seasons (with Cancelo in the team), Manchester City has won the league, which is amazing. After the World Cup, we started the pre-season phase and decided to play in different styles. I will spend more time considering other players.
Joao Cancelo has his own personality, so do I, he likes to play football. Cancelo trains the best, his situation is not getting much playing time. In recent years, he has been one of the players who played the most for Man City. Cancelo needs to play football to be happy, so we decided to send him to Munich. Cancelo wants to play every game and hopefully he can do that in Munich”.
Joao Cancelo appeared for Manchester City in the pre-season phase this season, but he subsequently completed a loan move to Barcelona. Last October, there were reports that Barcelona pursued a deal worth £24.3 million to buy Cancelo, but no agreement has been confirmed at this time.