Why Joao Cancelo was left out of Man City's Community Shield final squad amid Barcelona transfer links

Pep Guardiola has explained why Joao Cancelo didn't feature for Manchester City in their Community Shield defeat to Arsenal.

City lost 4-1 on penalties to Arsenal at Wembley after a 111th minute equaliser from Leandro Trossard denied them the win, with Cole Palmer having earlier given the treble winners the lead. Cancelo was absent from City's squad despite featuring for City during pre-season following his return from Bayern Munich.

Cancelo spent the second half of last season on loan at Allianz Arena after reportedly falling out with Pep Guardiola. The full-back wants to leave and the club want to sell him, with Barca having already agreed personal terms with the player ahead of a possible transfer. However, after the match at Wembley, Guardiola denied that Cancelo's absence was due to an impending transfer. He [Cancelo] has to go home to Portugal to sort something with his family, the City boss said.

Kyle Walker and Bernardo Silva have also been linked with moves to Bayern Munich and Barcelona respectively. When asked about being photographed dining with Walker last week, Guardiola said: We were looking forward to dinner together for a long time. He’s so important for us. Hopefully he can stay. If someone wants him they have to talk. Same with Bernardo. The Portugal international is still under contract at the Etihad Stadium until 2027, but it seems unlikely that he will still be a City player by the end of the current transfer window. City will open their latest Premier League campaign away at Burnley on August 11.