FC Barcelona is reportedly on the verge of signing Joao Cancelo from Al-Hilal, with Catalan newspapers calling the deal "imminent" and "absolutely advanced." An agreement on salary with Cancelo has been in place since his successful loan spell last season, where he won a Spanish title. Al-Hilal is keen to offload the player, who is training separately from their main squad and not in coach Simoene Inzaghi's plans. Barça is expected to pay around $11.5 million (€10 million) for the Portuguese defender, who has only one year left on his current contract. Cancelo is anticipated to sign a two-year deal, offering valuable experience and versatility, particularly at right-back, a position Hansi Flick intends for him. This move is considered a bargain for Barcelona, bringing back a player familiar with the club's system.
FC Barcelona is closing in on Joao Cancelo once more.
A new signing at FC Barcelona for its first team squad is "imminent" according to Catalan newspapers SPORT and Mundo Deportivo, who cited anonymous sources.
By the former outlet, an agreement between Barça and Al-Hilal for Joao Cancelo is described as being “absolutely advanced”.
When it comes to the Blaugrana and the player in question, there has been an understanding on his salary since the end of last season. That’s when Cancelo completed a highly-successful second loan spell under Hansi Flick, which saw him crowned a Spanish champion for the first time in his career.
Cancelo is currently training away from Al-Hilal’s main group led by former Inter Milan boss Simeone Inzaghi.
The Italian doesn’t count on the Portuguese for the upcoming season, and already has near-$9.3 million (€8 million) new signing Mohammed Mahzari to replace him.
FC Barcelona already knows how much Cancelo should cost
While Barça previously harbored pipe dreams of landing Cancelo for a few million euros or even on a free transfer if he managed to rescind his contract, Al-Hilal wants to recover as much as possible of the $17.3 million (€15 million) fee paid to Manchester City for his services in 2024.
Something around $11.5 million (€10 million) will wet the Saudis’ whistle, with Cancelo expected to sign for the Catalans on a two-year contract in the next few days.
Mundo Deportivo corroborates these key figures, while noting that Cancelo only has a year left on his contract at Al-Hilal.
Bearing this in mind, it isn’t a bad deal for all concerned. With elite experience and versatility, Cancelo is a bargain signing for Flick and Barça while already aware of how things work at the Spotify Camp Nou tactically and cultureally.
Last term, we saw him mostly play left back and keep La Masia product Alejandro Balde out of the team while racking up two goals and three assists in 16 La Liga appearances.
In the upcoming 2026/2027 term, he could operate more in his natural position of right back where Hansi Flick plans to have at least two options in the FC Barcelona first team squad. That will be Cancelo and Jules Kounde, though Xavi Espart is another option in addition to a multifunctional World Cup winner in Eric Garcia.