Does Joao Cancelo have a future at Man City? Pep Guardiola reveals current stance on Portuguese full-back as he nears end of Barcelona loan

Cancelo has not played for City since January 2023 following a fall out with Guardiola. He was loaned out to Bayern Munich later that month and then to Barcelona, where he has been fiercely criticised following high-profile errors in the defeats against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League and Real Madrid in La Liga.

"We’ll see at the end of the season," Guardiola told a press conference when asked whether Cancelo had a future at the club.

Cancelo has had three major flashpoints during his time at City. Just after joining from Juventus in 2019, the Portuguese threatened to leave the club after Guardiola preferred Kyle Walker at right-back. Sporting director Txiki Begiristain was tasked with getting the player to engage more in training in 2020. And in late 2022, Cancelo was not paying attention during team meetings, and reportedly started listening to music on his headphones while Guardiola was talking.

Cancelo is under contract at City until 2027, having penned a bumper deal in 2022, 11 months before he was sent out on loan to Bayern. The Portuguese's loan deal with Barcelona runs out at the end of this campaign, although he has expressed a desire to remain at the Catalan club for two or three more years.

City face Brighton on Thursday looking to reclaim their grip on the Premier League title race after Arsenal hammered Chelsea 5-0 to extend their lead at the top of the table. Guardiola said: "I can’t think past Brighton, trying to figure out how they are. I know with Roberto how we need to find the weakness, it will be really tough, they’ll test us in ways we are not used to. We have to be strong – it might be the toughest game. not saying the others are not but the way they play is so difficult and we have to be ready."