After signing Dutch defender Daley Blind (32) until the end of the season, free since the termination of his contract with Ajax Amsterdam, Bayern Munich have decided to recruit another defender with Cancelo (28) , holder in all five of Portugal's matches at the World Cup in Qatar.

According to the German press, the purchase option for the ex-Citizen would be 70 million euros.

"I took this chance, because I wanted to get to know a club like Bayern Munich, whose importance I know, as a player," explained Joao Cancelo, presented to the press before taking part in training in the afternoon.

The right-handed full-back can play both on the right side, like in selection or at Juventus, and on the left side like at Manchester City under the orders of Pep Guardiola.

Trained at Benfica, Cancelo played for three seasons in Valencia (2014-17), two in Italy (Inter Milan and Juventus Turin) before signing for Manchester City in the summer of 2019. He extended his contract a year ago. two seasons with the Citizens until the summer of 2027.

This is Bayern's third transfer this winter with the signings of Blind, Cancelo and Swiss international Yann Sommer (34) to compensate for the absence due to injury until the end of the season of goalkeeper and captain Manuel Neuer.

Two weeks before challenging Paris SG in the round of 16 first leg of the Champions League at the Parc des Princes, Bayern has been unusually active this winter on the transfer market.

The reigning ten-time German champions were constrained by the injuries of several key players before, during or after the World Cup: Manuel Neuer (fracture of the lower part of the right leg), Lucas Hernandez (rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament of the knee right), Sadio Mané (right fibula), or Noussair Mazraoui (pericarditis after a Covid infection).

This arrival in Bavaria of Cancelo further complicates the situation of Frenchman Benjamin Pavard, less and less used by coach Julian Nagelsmann lately.

© 2023 AFP