Arsenal ask Man City star to wait for transfer as fifth signing prepared

Arsenal are reportedly keen on recruiting Manchester City full-back Joao Cancelo during the summer transfer window

Arsenal are considering making a move for Manchester City defender Joao Cancelo, according to recent reports.

The Gunners had been linked with a move for Cancelo earlier in the summer transfer window before eventually signing Jurrien Timber from Ajax instead.

But the Dutch international sustained a knee injury during Saturday’s 2-1 victory against Nottingham Forest, leading some reports to claim that Mikel Arteta could dip back into the market to bolster his backline.

City centre-back Aymeric Laporte has been mooted as a potential target, although speculation has been mounting that the Spanish international will be moving to Saudi Arabia instead.

Now, Spanish outlet SPORT have reported that Arsenal are back in the race to sign Cancelo, who has been heavily pursued by Barcelona in recent times.

It is claimed that the Gunners have confirmed their intentions to the 29-year-old, asking him to wait for them to make some sales, potentially including left-back Kieran Tierney. La Liga champions are said to still be confident that they can win the race for the versatile full-back, having already agreed personal terms with the player.

Neither club have yet agreed a fee with City but the Blaugrana may have the advantage over the north Londoners considering Mikel Arteta’s side are a direct Premier League rival to Pep Guardiola and Co.

Oleksandr Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus were both allowed to swap the Etihad Stadium for the Emirates last year but Arsenal have made huge strides since then, challenging the Citizens in last season’s league title race.

According to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, that makes a deal between the two clubs less likely this time around. “The knee injury for Jurrien Timber is a serious problem for Arsenal, so we’ll have to see who could be on their list now,” Romano said, via Caught Offside.

“We wish the best to Timber, let’s hope it won’t be a long injury, but it looks like a significant one, so Arsenal will explore the market. Earlier in the summer, Arsenal looked at bringing in a ‘traditional’ centre-back, more than a versatile player like Timber, who can play everywhere in defence.

“One player they appreciate is Aymeric Laporte – the rumours are true in the sense that he is liked by Arsenal. But the problem is Manchester City don’t want to sell another player to Arsenal, they prefer another destination for him, so let’s see if Arsenal return for Laporte or if they try to replace Timber with a full-back instead. 

“Internal discussions will take place on that, with Mikel Arteta involved.” The Gunners have already had a very busy window, recruiting Timber, Declan Rice and Kai Havertz on a permanent basis, with David Raya joining on loan with an option to buy.