Arsenal: Gunners set to make offer for Joao Cancelo

The Gunners have held positive talks with the Manchester City full-back.

Arsenal are set to make an offer for Manchester City full-back Joao Cancelo, having held positive talks, according to a report from Football Transfers.

Is Joao Cancelo leaving Man City?

Cancelo left Man City to join Bayern Munich on loan during the January transfer window, with Pep Guardiola confirming his departure was due to a lack of game time, after the manager changed his side’s play-style following the World Cup.

There were also reports the defender had a training ground bust-up with his manager, which led to his shock move to Bayern, however the German champions are set to reject the chance to sign him on a permanent basis this summer.

City proved they are more than capable of succeeding without the Portugal international, finally winning the Champions League on Saturday night, and he could be on the move this summer, having already held talks about a move to Arsenal.

According to a report from Football Transfers, those talks are progressing positively, so much so that Mikel Arteta is set to launch an opening bid of around £35m in the coming days, although that may not be enough to secure 29-year-old’s signature.

Man City are asking for around £45m for the defender, £10m more than the Gunners are set to offer, but the indication is that they could table a higher bid, should their opening offer be rejected.

The report details that the £250k-per-week earner would become the starting right-back at the Emirates Stadium, allowing Arteta to use Ben White as cover in that area of the pitch.

Will Joao Cancelo sign for Arsenal?

The aforementioned report claims that Guardiola wants to get rid of the Portuguese full-back, and he does have a previous history of selling players to rival Premier League clubs, with Raheem Sterling joining Chelsea for £47.5m last summer.

As such, it would by no means be a surprise if Arsenal sign the Man City ace, and he could be a quality addition to the squad, having been hailed as “sensational” by Bayern Munich director Hasan Salihamidzic.

For a full-back, the Barreiro-born star is very impressive on the front foot, ranking in the 99th percentile for assists per 90 over the past year, and in the 98th percentile for successful take-ons, when compared to his positional peers.

Not only that, the former Benfica man is also solid defensively, ranking first in the Man City squad for average interceptions per game in the Premier League last season.

Cancelo could be a great signing for Arsenal, and it is fantastic news that Arteta is ready to test the waters with an opening bid.