Will come back, won’t come back? The Joao Cancelo file could be added to the pile of transfers currently being negotiated by FC Barcelona. The Portuguese full-back was loaned by Manchester City in 2023-204 before heading to Saudi Arabia to join Al-Hilal. After a convincing first stint, he returned to Catalonia last season, once again in the form of a loan. Which notably allowed him to win La Liga and to have won four different major championships during his career.
2⃣ El Al-Hilal sube le tono y asigna dorsal a Cancelo
📋 The Saudi set has published the numbers for this time, including the ports, which will shine on 20
✍️ Mario Roldán https://t.co/wtmIUr2bFb
— Diario SPORT (@sport) August 10, 2026
But since the end of this second Barcelona parenthesis, doubt has hovered over the future of the 32-year-old player. The latter would like to return to Barça, who wish to recruit him permanently. According to information from
Sport
the deal would be about to materialize with a transfer of around 10 million euros. For its part, Al-Hilal has already anticipated the departure of its player by recruiting Noussair Mazraoui to his position.
Cancelo has his number
But that didn’t stop the Saudi club from adding Cancelo to their squad list for the upcoming season. Still under contract (until 2027), the Portuguese international would wear number 20 if he were to stay. In any case, he has resumed collective training under the orders of Simone Inzaghi since August 7. It remains to be seen whether his transfer will be finalized by the end of the summer transfer window.
An expected return
In Barcelona, the technical qualities of the former Citizen are very appreciated. The same goes for his ability to play on both sides in defense. This versatility allowed him to establish himself on the left side of the Barcelona defense in place of Alejandro Baldé,
