Guardiola and his men face Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League semi-final first leg tie at the Bernabeu on Tuesday
By Kehinde Okeowo
Manchester City boss, Pep Guardiola is favourable disposed to Joao Cancelo joining his former team, Barcelona, but will not sanction his move to their arch-rivals, Real Madrid.
The Portugal defender, who left Etihad on loan to Bundesliga champions, Bayern Munich this season, is being targeted by both Real Madrid and Barcelona.
Cancelo found playing time difficult to come by at Manchester City after falling down Guardiola’s pecking order and was forced to move to Germany during the January window.
However, it appears new Bayern Munich manager, Thomas Tuchel is not overly convinced by the Portuguese’s performances and would not want the club to meet the €60 million buy option in his contract at the end of the season.
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According to El Nacional, the highly rated right-back has emerged as a serious target for Barcelona who want to free centre backs, Ronald Araujo and Jules Kounde from playing out of position.
But Real Madrid are also interested in signing the 28-year-old, because of his versatility and ability to double up as a left-back.
Los Blancos who are looking for who will challenge 31-year-old right-back, Daniel Carvajal, are also in the transfer market to find an upgrade on Ferland Mendy.
The report, however, said Guardiola does not want Cancelo at Real Madrid and will likely block such a move from happening.
Instead, the Spanish tactician prefers the Portuguese international to join La Liga leaders, Barcelona.
Meanwhile, Guardiola and his men face Real Madrid in UEFA Champions League (UCL) semi-final first leg tie at the Bernabeu on Tuesday night.
The winner of the double header will face either Inter Milan or AC Milan in the final at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey on June 10.