FC Barcelona have effectively received the green light from Al-Hilal to sign its full back Joao Cancelo, as explained by Mundo Deportivo.
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FC Barcelona have effectively received the green light from Al-Hilal to sign its full back Joao Cancelo, as explained by Mundo Deportivo.
Cancelo is wrapping up a second loan assignment at the Spotify Camp Nou, which has proven a roaring success.
Any Culer that told you they weren’t concerned when hearing that the Portuguese was returning to Catalonia at the end of January might be stretching the truth.
That’s mainly down to his chaotic first tenure under Xavi Hernandez during the trophyless 2023/2024 campaign which ended with the Catalan being dismissed.
Under Xavi’s successor Flick, however, Cancelo was transformed from a “loos cannon” into a safe pair of hands that has proven adept at covering either left or right back while dislodging La Masia product Alejandro Balde from the first team.
Like Marcus Rashford, though, his temporary agreement expires on June 30 and other plans need to be made.
And while previously there were reports of Al-Hilal possibly making a permanent transfer difficult as head coach Simeone Inzaghi could want him for next season, that doesn’t seem to be the case now.
Mundo Deportivo reports that Al-Hilal see Cancelo’s permanent departure from their squad, which he joined from Manchester City in 2024, as “inevitable”.
Cancelo’s relationship with Inzaghi isn’t good and he doesn’t want to return to Saudi Arabia either.
Yet more importantly for Barça, who are trying to sign Julian Alvarez and possibly acquire Bernardo Silva on a free transfer while staying on the right side of Financial Fair Play (FFP) limits, Al-Hilal’s starting price isn’t the previous $17.5 million (€15 million) figure quoted by various outlets.
This is still a bargain for a 32-year-old international off to the World Cup for Portugal with Silva, though, who can play a number of positions.
Ideally, however, Barça would get Cancelo permanently for a few million or completely free of charge if his contract, which runs until June 30, 2027, is rescinded.
If the operation comes off, the journeyman that has won the league as a player in a series of European top flights is likely to continue on the left flank.
That’s if Marc Cucurella isn’t bought in reaction to a possible sale of Jules Kounde by Barcelona, which could push Cancelo onto the right flank amid Balde likely being sold as surplus to requirements for a tidy profit.
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