Bayern Munich have agreed a deadline-day loan deal for Manchester City full-back Joao Cancelo.
The 28-year-old joins until the end of the season with the option to join permanently in the summer for €70m (£61.5m).
“Bayern are a great club, one of the best in the world,” Cancelo said. “I know this team lives for titles.”
The Portugal international joined City from Juventus in 2019 and has made 98 Premier League appearances.
“It’s a huge motivation for me to play alongside such extraordinary players in a team,” added Cancelo.
“I am also driven by the thirst for success. I will do my best for Bayern.”
Under City boss Pep Guardiola, he won two league titles and the EFL Cup and was previously considered one of City’s key players due to his ability to drift inside and play the playmaking role when City had the ball.
His performances have seen him named in the PFA Premier League Team of the Year for the past two seasons.
However, he joins the German champions having started just three games since the World Cup, his reduced playing time coinciding with the emergence of teenager Rico Lewis and the improved form of Nathan Ake.
Cancelo’s last two appearances came in defeats to Southampton and Manchester United.
Hasan Salihamidzic, FC Bayern Board Member for Sport, said: “Joao is a player we’ve been thinking about for a while now because we appreciate his qualities very much.
“He fits our system perfectly with his attacking style of play and drive, and his mentality and experience fit very well into our team. I’m confident that Joao will help us in the weeks and months to come wherever we want. win titles.”
Bayern top the Bundesliga, one point ahead of Union Berlin.
Cancelo signed a new five-year deal with the reigning Premier League champions in February 2022, extending his contract at the Etihad Stadium until 2027.
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Guardiola has never made a secret that he wouldn’t keep a disgruntled player and Cancelo isn’t happy with his limited playing time.
The blunt truth is that, in a season where City have struggled to regain the consistency and efficiency of recent seasons, Cancelo is among those who haven’t reached the required levels.
The arrival of Erling Haaland has triggered some tactical adjustments and Cancelo is no longer the force he used to be.
There are question marks over the fitness of John Stones, Aymeric Laporte and Ruben Dias, so this move is not without risk.
But Guardiola led City to four titles in five seasons, and by sanctioning that move he showed he was brave enough to make decisions he believed would give the club the best chance of continued success.
