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Manchester City defender Joao Cancelo is reportedly close to joining Bayern Munich on loan after falling out with head coach Pep Guardiola.
The Portuguese was said to have been involved in an angry training ground burst-up with the Spanish tactician. This was prior to City's FA Cup clash against Arsenal.
Cancelo was furious after he was informed that he wouldn't be starting the fourth-round clash against the Gunners. Guardiola opted to play defender Nathan Ake at left-back, with the Dutchman scoring the only goal of the game as City secured a 1-0 win at home.
Cancelo's reaction prior to the game created a rift between him and Guardiola. The Spanish tactician has now allowed Cancelo to leave the club.
Guardiola had previously admitted to having issues with Cancelo when the Portuguese initially arrived at Eithad from Juventus in 2019.
Pep made this known in February last year when the defender signed a contract extension with the Citizens until 2027. As seen in Marca, he said:
"We had problems when he arrived, we didn't agree on many things, partly because of my mistakes, but now I am delighted that he is completely happy and can play here for many seasons."
The Portuguese full-back has struggled for game time since returning from the World Cup in Qatar. Cancelo has so far started just three games in all competitions for Manchester City since the resumption of the 2022-23 club campaign in December.
The 28-year-old is now close to completing a loan move to Bayern Munich until the end of the season, according to Skysports. The German club will also have the option to make the move permanent in the summer for a fee of €70 million.
Pep Guardiola reacts to Manchester City's FA Cup win against Arsenal
Pep Guardiola said Manchester City's 1-0 FA Cup win against Arsenal will be irrelevant in the Premier League title race, adding that he expects the Gunners to do "something differently" when they meet in the league next month.
Nathan Ake's strike in the second half was enough to knock Mikel Arteta's side out of the competition and secure City's spot in the next round.
Speaking after the game as seen in the Daily Mail, Pep said,
"It was a tight game, a difficult opponent," Guardiola said. "The second half was better apart from 10 minutes after the goal."
He continued:
"I am pretty sure both teams are going to adjust something," he said. "I have the feeling now they are going to do something differently."
This was the first time Manchester City have faced Arteta's Premier League leaders this season. Guardiola will hope for a similar result against his former assistant when the two teams next face each other in their first league encounter on February 15.
Arsenal currently lead City by five points in the standings, having played one game fewer than the champions.
