Joao Cancelo is out of favour at Manchester City after suffering a dip in form while being called out by Pep Guardiola for a poor attitude in training, so it was inevitable that media outlets would start linking him with a move away from the Etihad Stadium.
The latest from Simone Ciccarelli of Calciomercatoweb says that City are interested in Rafael Leao of AC Milan and could give the Serie A outfit Cancelo as part of the deal. The Sky Blues paid £60m to sign the 28-year-old in 2019 and he’s gone on to make 154 appearances in all competitions, scoring nine goals with 22 assists.
Leao joined Milan for €35m (£30.9m) in 2019 and has gone on to make 140 appearances in all competitions, scoring 36 goals with 30 assists. The Rossoneri would accept €80m (£70.6m) for the 23-year-old, but it remains to be seen if a deal will get over the line.
Cancelo is out of favour at City, but that doesn’t mean Guardiola will sell him midway through the season. City would be short at left-back if the 28-year-old joined Milan too, so it makes little sense to weaken the defence.
They don’t have a fervent need for another forward either with Riyad Mahrez, Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, Julian Alvarez and Cole Palmer, so this alleged swap deal doesn’t make sense.
In other news, Pep Guardiola criticises Kevin De Bruyne for lack of goals
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