Pep Guardiola keeps door open for Joao Cancelo’s return to Manchester City

Pep Guardiola has left the door open for a return to Manchester City for the departed defender Joao Cancelo.

Cancelo was allowed to leave Manchester City to join Bayern Munich on loan at the end of the transfer window after falling out with Guardiola

The German champions have an option to make the loan permanent for around £61m, meaning Cancelo may have played his final game for City.

The full-back posted what looked to be a farewell compilation video before being announced at Bayern, accompanied by the caption ‘Once a Cityzen, always a Cityzen.’ He later clarified that the video was not a final goodbye, and he left the door open to return to the Etihad in the summer, where he is under contract until 2027.

Now, manager Guardiola has weighed in on Cancelo’s future, saying that no decision will be made until the end of the campaign about any player with an uncertain future.

“Now he’s there. We see what happens at the end of the season,” the manager said. “At the end of the season we talk many many things about many many players.”

Moving to clarify those comments, Guardiola was keen to stress that the stance on Cancelo’s future is no different to any other figure at City.

He said: “Now I say that about Joao, it looks like this and everyone says… At the end of the season, every season happens the same, we’re going to talk with many players, happens since I arrive. Maybe next season we could continue with absolutely all the players. Could be new ones. I don’t know.

“Ask me about Joao, about myself, nobody knows what is going to happen. Now the transfer window is closed, over. Focus on four months, a little bit more, left. After we will see what happens. I don’t know what happens with any single player.”