Bayern sign Cancelo on loan

THE 28-year-old has played an integral part in the Premier League titles Pep Guardiola's side have won in the past two seasons, but has fallen out of favour and will move to Germany with an option to join permanently for 70m euro (£61.5m) in the summer.

The Portugal defender, who moved in 2019 from Juventus for £60m, has played more minutes for City than any other defender this season.

So why has he been allowed to leave? How has he fallen out of favour? Where does it leave Manchester City? What do pundits and fans think?

'This is Guardiola flexing his muscles'

Cancelo has played 1,866 minutes across all competitions this season - 68 more than Manuel Akanji, City's second most-played defender. He has featured in 26 games, and was on track to play a similar level of games as in the past two seasons — 43 and 52.

However, only 256 minutes have been since domestic football returned after the World Cup, with him taken off at half-time at Chelsea. His other two starts were defeats at Manchester United in the Premier League and Southampton in the Carabao Cup.

His dip has coincided with the emergence of 18-year-old Rico Lewis, and Nathan Ake's improved form.

With no replacement likely in the January window City will be going into the remaining four months of the season with just 19 senior outfield players.

Winger Cole Palmer, 20, and left-back Sergio Gomez, 22, are also included in that number, with the pair only playing a combined 216 minutes in the Premier League this season. They only have two recognised full-backs in Lewis and Kyle Walker.

With the Blues still competing on three fronts - they are five points behind Arsenal in the Premier League and in the last 16 of the Champions League and FA Cup — does it leave them short for the rest of the season?

There are reports of Cancelo being frustrated with his lack of minutes and arguments with Guardiola, and former Blackburn striker Chris Sutton told BBC Radio 5 Live that is the only reason he could understand City permitting a transfer.

"I am shocked about Joao Cancelo because Oleksandr Zinchenko was sold and the lack of options that Pep Guardiola has in those full-back areas," said Sutton.

"From the outside it looks like some sort of altercation or bust-up because why would Pep Guardiola risk that?

"It just seems to me that this is Pep Guardiola flexing his muscles. It looks like there has been some sort of fallout.

"At this moment in time Manchester City fans will be thinking 'blimey, we've got a lot to do in the Premier League because Arsenal are absolutely flying'. They would consider Cancelo still as their best full-back so this is a real surprise."

'I wanted to play but I don't see it as a final departure'

Cancelo addressed the reports in a news conference, stating that his main reason for leaving was a desire to play more.

"There was speculation that my relationship with Pep [Guardiola] was not the best, but the fact is I wanted to play more," Cancelo said.

"I wanted to start this new adventure as soon as possible. I enjoyed my time at City and I am still under contract with the club so I don't see it as a final departure.

"Bayern is a great club, one of the best in the world. I know this team lives for titles and it's enormous motivation for me to now play alongside these extraordinary players in a team."

Bayern Munich sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic said: "Joao is a player we've been thinking about for a while now because we very much appreciate his qualities.