According to Rudy Galetti of GIVEMESPORT, Arsenal is interested" in the 29-year-old Portuguese defender Joao Cancelo.
Cancelo made an immediate impression in Germany, and after a strong start for the eventual Bundesliga champions, his then-manager Julian Nagelsmann praised the defender as "world-class."
His future is still uncertain, though, as Bayern apparently has no plans to sign Cancelo on a long-term basis.
It is unlikely that he will be reintroduced into the starting 11 when he returns to Manchester City, having originally left the Etihad to get more playing time. Instead, he will likely be sold to garner more money for Pep Guardiola.
Cancelo will undoubtedly have a lengthy list of possible employers given his evident talent, and the Gunners seem to be one of the teams interested in signing him this summer.
In addition to Declan Rice, Kai Havertz, and Jurrien Timber, Mikel Arteta would also be interested in Cancelo when the summer transfer window opens. Cancelo originally left Manchester City in January on loan to Bayern Munich.
Arsenal is interested in Cancelo, according to Galetti, but the Gunners are unlikely to make a bid for the defender until their problems in the middle of the pitch are resolved.
Speaking exclusively to GIVEMESPORT, Galetti said: "Arsenal are certainly one of the teams interested in him, it's confirmed. But at the moment the Gunners are fully focused on the deal of Declan Rice, and only after having managed the midfielder issue will they eventually focus on the Portuguese player."
The 29-year-old was generally excellent at Manchester when used on either flank in an inverted-full back position, and Arsenal could try to copy that. Ben White excelled in the job last season, but the Englishman is a natural center-back, and Cancelo would bring a much higher level of experience to the table.
Given that, it is unlikely that he will be inexpensive, especially in terms of pay. According to Spotrac, the defender presently makes 250,000 per week at City and would probably want a wage along those lines at the Emirates.
If Arsenal were to sign Cancelo, he would become their third acquisition from Manchester City in the last two seasons, with Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko making the switch to North London in the summer of 2022.
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