Joao Cancelo's Heart Remains in Barcelona Amid Al-Hilal Training

Joao Cancelo laced up his boots for Al-Hilal training on Friday, but every step looked like a temporary arrangement. On paper, he belongs to the Saudi club. In his head – and very clearly in his public messaging – he still belongs to Barcelona.

The Portuguese full-back has found himself in the middle of a deal that everyone expects to be completed, yet still hasn’t crossed the line. Barcelona and Al-Hilal have been locked in talks for weeks over a permanent transfer, and, according to Spanish newspaper Marca, the agreement is practically done. The only obstacles now are a few tax-related details, the kind of bureaucratic wrinkles that slow a deal rather than threaten it.

So Cancelo waits. And he makes sure nobody forgets where he wants to be.

Forced to report back to Al-Hilal at the end of last week, the 32-year-old joined up with the Saudi side against his wishes, a professional fulfilling an obligation rather than embracing a new chapter. Behind the scenes, he has repeated the same message: his future, as he sees it, begins and ends at the Spotify Camp Nou, under Hansi Flick.

He has not tried to hide it. On social media, Cancelo posted a photo of himself celebrating a goal in a Barcelona shirt, a simple image that carried a loud message. No cryptic captions, no ambiguity. Just a visual reminder of where he feels at home. Inside the Catalan club, that gesture landed exactly as intended. Executives and staff have lined up in support of his stance, reading it as a player openly pushing to return to what he considers his footballing family.

For Barcelona, the feeling is mutual. The club are described as “fully confident” of bringing him back, this time for good. The plan on the table is clear: a permanent deal to make Cancelo a Barcelona player outright, ending the carousel of loans that has defined his recent years.

This would be his third spell at the Camp Nou, but the first with full commitment on paper as well as in spirit. He first arrived on loan from Manchester City for the 2023-2024 season, then came back again on loan from Al-Hilal in 2025-2026. Each time, he slotted straight into the side, each time he left with the feeling that the job was not finished.

Now Barcelona’s hierarchy are working to close the loop. The structure of the deal is in place, the will of the player is unquestionable, and the dressing room he calls “family” is waiting. Only the tax details stand between Cancelo and the permanent return he has been agitating for.

For the moment, he trains in Saudi Arabia. His future, though, is being drawn up in Barcelona’s offices – and in his own mind, it already wears blaugrana.