Barcelona surprised many by bringing in Joao Cancelo on loan from Al-Hilal in the winter transfer window, but in recent weeks it has been Cancelo who has surprised with his performances. The Portuguese veteran is in contention to remain at the club.
Cancelo returned to the club in January on a second loan deal until the end of the season from Al-Hilal, 18 months after his first ended. Injuries to Jules Kounde and Alejandro Balde have given Cancelo a much more prominent role than expected, and Cancelo has impressed from left-back in place of the latter.
Barcelona intend to retain Cancelo this summer
As such, it has been reported that Barcelona are intending to keep Cancelo this summer beyond the end of his loan deal. The 31-year-old would be delighted to return to the top level of European football, and beyond his current form, his versatility is seen as a major advantage by Barcelona. Manager Hansi Flick has signed off on making the switch permanent.
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Al-Hilal conditions represent major snag
Whether the Blaugrana can find acceptable terms for him to do so is another matter. The Catalan side have been briefing that they are willing to sign Cancelo on a permanent basis, but only on a free. That requires him to negotiate the termination of his deal with Al-Hilal, but MD say that the Saudi giants are demanding €15m for Cancelo in the summer. Already Barcelona were going to ask Cancelo to take a major pay cut to make the move happen, and it seems unlikely that he can fund the entire move.
Negotiation position?
That said, it may be that this is simply a negotiation poisiton from Al-Hilal. Cancelo seems not to be in their plans, and with just a year left on his deal and into his thirties, there is little value in holding onto him. Should they do so, given Cancelo’s high wages, they are unlikely to be able to extract a good deal this summer.
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