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, and this time the numbers are finally starting to bend their way.
Al-Hilal, who only weeks ago were holding firm on a €15 million valuation, are now prepared to climb down from that figure, according to reports in Spain. The shift has not come by accident. It is the product of persistent, almost relentless dialogue between the clubs, steered by super-agent Jorge Mendes, who has planted himself at the centre of another complex Barcelona summer.
For Barça, it is the opening they have been waiting for.
Cancelo pushes for Camp Nou stay
At 32, Cancelo has made it clear he sees his future in Barcelona’s colours. He has become a key piece in Hansi Flick’s structure, his versatility and aggression from full-back turning him into far more than a simple loanee filling a gap.
Inside the talks, the message from the player’s camp has been consistent: he does not want to go back to Riyadh. That stance has helped crack Al-Hilal’s once-rigid position. People close to the negotiations say the Saudi club is no longer treating his exit as a closed door, and their willingness to move off the original asking price has given Barcelona a realistic shot at a permanent deal.
The driving force is Cancelo’s refusal to return to a situation he no longer trusts.
His frustration with his Al-Hilal experience has already spilled into public view. Reflecting on his time there, Cancelo said: “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 are not the words of a man preparing for a reunion.
No way back with Inzaghi
Inside Al-Hilal, the sporting relationship between Cancelo and Simone Inzaghi is described as non-existent. There is no connection, no shared project, no sense that a new season together could reset anything.
That emotional distance matters. It makes a return to the Saudi Pro League side virtually impossible, regardless of whether Inzaghi stays in his role or is replaced. For Cancelo, the priority is crystal clear: extend his Spanish chapter under Flick, in a league and environment where he feels trusted and central.
Barcelona, battling financial constraints on multiple fronts, know this is one of the few high-level deals where the player’s will is firmly on their side.
Mendes’ busy Barcelona summer
While the Cancelo operation is the headline act, Mendes is spinning several other plates at Camp Nou.
One of them is Marc Casado. The midfielder does not fit Flick’s long-term vision, and a move to Al-Hilal has emerged as a possibility. It would be a neat twist in the story: the same club easing Cancelo’s exit could end up taking a Barça prospect in return, helping balance both squads and, crucially, Barcelona’s books.
Mendes is also probing options for the forward line. Darwin Núñez has been floated as a potential low-cost alternative if Barcelona fail to land their preferred attacking target, Julián Álvarez. Any move for Núñez would depend on how the Álvarez pursuit unfolds, but the idea on the table is clear: find a high-energy, hard-running striker who can fit into Flick’s pressing blueprint without breaking the wage structure.
This is Mendes at full stretch: one foot in the defensive rebuild, another in the attacking reshuffle, all while trying to secure Cancelo’s future.
Cucurella on the radar – but where does he fit?
Barcelona’s defensive planning does not stop with Cancelo. The club have also been tracking Marc Cucurella, the former La Masia left-back now at Chelsea, who is understood to be open to a return to Spain.
On paper, the move is tempting. Cucurella brings intensity, stamina and familiarity with the club’s identity. But the reality of the squad complicates the picture.
Cancelo, a natural right-back, has spent most of the 2025-26 season operating on the left side of the defence, often stepping inside to help build play. Alejandro Balde is already in place as a long-term left-back option. Adding Cucurella to that mix would load one flank with talent while leaving other areas in need.
For a club that has to count every euro, overstocking the left side would raise hard questions. Can they justify another specialist there if Cancelo stays and continues to drift across both sides of the backline? Or does Cucurella only become a serious option if other pieces move?
Those are decisions for later in the window. The immediate battle is clear enough.
Barcelona want Cancelo. Cancelo wants Barcelona. Al-Hilal, at last, are starting to bend. Now it comes down to whether the numbers finally line up for a deal that has felt inevitable on the pitch, but anything but simple off it.
