Barcelona Moves Closer to João Cancelo Deal as Al-Hilal Softens Stance
Barcelona’s bid to keep João Cancelo at Camp Nou has moved into sharper focus, with Al-Hilal finally showing signs of flexibility over a permanent deal for the defender.
The Saudi Pro League club had been holding firm at around €15 million, but negotiations have shifted. According to reporting in Spain, Al-Hilal are now prepared to climb down from that figure after a sustained spell of talks between the two clubs, steered by super-agent Jorge Mendes. The door that once seemed bolted now stands ajar.
Cancelo pushes for Barca stay
At 32, Cancelo knows exactly where he wants to be. He has made no secret of his desire to continue in Barcelona, where he has evolved into a key part of Hansi Flick’s structure, a full-back who doubles as a playmaker and a pressing trigger.
Sources close to the talks suggest Al-Hilal are no longer hiding behind a rigid valuation. The club, once adamant he would not leave on the cheap, is now open to a more modest fee that brings a permanent move into Barcelona’s financial reach.
The main force behind that shift? Cancelo himself.
The Portuguese defender has drawn a hard line over a return to Riyadh. His frustration with how his stint in Saudi Arabia unfolded remains fresh. Speaking about his time at Al-Hilal, he did not hold back:
“At Al-Hilal, unfortunately, I had people who did not tell me the truth. They told me I was going to be registered for the Saudi league list, and then, when the time came, they did not do it. After that, I’m always the one left with the bad image… but at least I keep my word, and I would not trade it for anything. I have always been the same way. I am straightforward and I do not hold grudges against anyone.”
Those words still echo around this transfer saga. For Cancelo, trust was broken. Going back is not on the table.
No way back with Inzaghi
If there was any faint hope of reconciliation, his relationship with current Al-Hilal coach Simone Inzaghi has extinguished it. People around the player describe it as non-existent. No bond, no dialogue, no feeling.
That emotional void makes a return to Saudi Arabia practically impossible, regardless of what happens to Inzaghi’s position. Whether the Italian stays or goes, Cancelo’s mind is set. His priority is clear: stay in Spain, stay under Flick, and continue the work he has started at Camp Nou.
Barcelona, aware of that determination, are pushing to convert his loan into something lasting. The player wants it. The coach wants it. The agent is working to make the numbers fit.
Mendes juggling Barca’s moving pieces
While Cancelo’s case sits at the top of the pile, Mendes has more than one file open at Barcelona.
The future of Marc Casado is also on the table. The young midfielder does not figure in Flick’s long-term plans, and a move to Al-Hilal is being explored as a possible solution. It would be a neat piece of business: one Mendes client leaving Saudi, another potentially arriving.
Up front, the agent is probing different angles. Mendes could put Darwin Núñez on the table as a low-cost attacking option for Barcelona’s forward line. Any serious move there, though, hinges on what happens with the club’s main target: Julián Álvarez. If Barcelona find a path to Álvarez, Núñez becomes a different conversation. If not, the Uruguayan suddenly looks a lot more attractive.
This is how Mendes operates at the top level: one negotiation bleeding into the next, each deal shaping the space for another.
Left flank puzzle: Cancelo, Balde… and Cucurella?
While the Cancelo operation dominates the defensive agenda, Barcelona are not limiting their search to one flank or one profile.
Reports in Spain indicate that Marc Cucurella, a product of La Masia now at Chelsea, is open to returning home. Barcelona are monitoring the situation closely. Cucurella is a natural left-back, aggressive and energetic, and would arrive as a specialist in a role that has already seen some reshaping.
The twist is that Cancelo, though a right-back by trade, has spent most of the 2025–26 season playing on the left side of the defence. Flick has leaned heavily on his versatility, often inverting him into midfield or asking him to overload that channel.
Add Cucurella to a squad that already includes Alejandro Balde and you get a very crowded left flank. On paper, it looks like overkill. In practice, it raises a pointed question about how Barcelona want their back line to evolve and where Cancelo will be deployed if he stays.
For now, the priority is simple: turn Cancelo’s desire into a permanent contract and Al-Hilal’s softened stance into an agreement. Once that piece falls into place, the rest of Barcelona’s defensive puzzle will either click into shape—or force some uncomfortable decisions.
