FC Barcelona were not exactly expected to do any transfer business in the January window, but to everyone’s surprise, the Catalan club has agreed a deal with Al Hilal to sign Portuguese full-back Joao Cancelo on loan.
The versatile defender has previously been part of Barcelona for a solitary season on loan from Manchester City, [and he is now set to join on a six-month loan to add depth to Hansi Flick’s team](https://semprebarca.com/barcelona-send-initial-official-bid-to-al-hilal-to-sign-31-year-old-portuguese-full-back-on-loan-romano/).
Interestingly, the loan negotiations also brought up Al Hilal’s interest in signing Robert Lewandowski. However, according to [Mundo Deportivo](https://www.mundodeportivo.com/futbol/fc-barcelona/20260106/1002596530/lewandowski-cierra-puerta-hilal.html), the 37-year-old striker has firmly closed the door on a move to Saudi Arabia and plans to remain at Barcelona until his contract expires in June.
According to sources close to the player, Lewandowski wants to focus on enjoying his final months at Camp Nou and aims to replicate the success of last year when he helped the club secure three titles.
This is not the first time Al Hilal has pursued Lewandowski, having unsuccessfully tried to sign him over the past three summers. Their current coach, Simone Inzaghi, specifically requested the striker as reinforcement, but Lewandowski remains committed to finishing his contract at Barcelona.
Lewandowski still puts up very decent goalscoring numbers that would make any other striker proud, but age seems to be catching up with the Pole. He is no longer able to perform at the same level that he maintained for much of his career.
That said, some of the 37-year-old’s attributes are still very valuable, as seen in the game against Espanyol. When used off the bench and rotated properly with Ferran Torres, Lewandowski still has a role to play in Hansi Flick’s team.
Thus, the best decision for both Barcelona and Lewandowski is to continue together until the summer before taking a call on the future. Rejecting Al Hilal’s approach is the right decision, and let us hope both parties can stick to it.