Barcelona are counting on Joao Cancelo as part of their plans for the 2026/27 season.
Signed on loan from Al-Hilal in January, his performances during the final stretch of the season have convinced manager Hansi Flick, who has already instructed the club’s sporting department to work on securing his signing.
The full-back himself is willing to make the move happen, but the operation is set to become tricky because of Al-Hilal’s stance.
Al-Hilal want a significant fee
Indeed, according to 365Scores (h/t Mundo Deportivo), Al-Hilal will not let Cancelo leave at just any price in the summer.
The Saudi Arabian giants remain firm in their position of extracting the maximum financial benefit from any deal involving the 31-year-old defender.
Aware that Cancelo does not want to continue with them, Al-Hilal’s leadership remains in a position of strength with a player still under contract until 2027.
Months ago, they had already warned that they would not make his departure easy and had no intention of negotiating another loan deal.
As per the report, the club has scheduled a crucial meeting with Cancelo’s agent, Jorge Mendes, to discuss his future and determine his next destination.
Al-Hilal intend to put pressure on Barcelona by using the existence of offers from two European clubs interested in signing Cancelo.
Barcelona prefer a free transfer
As far as Barcelona are concerned, they intend to sign Cancelo permanently, but with a couple of conditions.
One of the conditions happens to be that the full-back must secure his release from Al-Hilal, so that he can be signed for free by the Blaugrana.
However, given the firm stance that Al-Hilal are taking over Cancelo’s exit, such a move might not materialise, complicating the situation.
