Joao Cancelo's Future: Barcelona or Al-Hilal?
Joao Cancelo’s future is back on the tightrope. On one side, Barcelona, waiting with a contract and a clear role under Hansi Flick. On the other, Al-Hilal, who have just handed him a squad number for the 2026/27 season as if nothing were about to change.
His name sits there on the Saudi club’s list, next to the No.20 shirt. The same number he wore in his first spell at Al-Hilal. The same number he pulls on for Portugal. It looks definitive. It isn’t.
A deal done… but not done
Behind that neat squad list lies a very different reality. Barcelona and Al-Hilal have an agreement that is described as practically complete, with a fee of around €10 million on the table. Cancelo has already shaken hands on personal terms with Barça. That part has been settled since the end of last season.
Flick’s mind is made up. During his loan spell, Cancelo played 23 times, scored twice and supplied three assists. Those numbers only tell part of the story. With Alejandro Balde struggling with muscular issues, the Portuguese defender became a fixture in the starting XI, switching sides, stepping into midfield, giving Flick the tactical flexibility he craves.
Those months convinced the coach that Cancelo is worth the effort and the wait. For Flick, this is not a luxury signing. It is a piece of the structure.
Yet the move still has no official seal. Fiscal and financial details, the kind that never make highlight reels but often dictate careers, have dragged out what should have been a straightforward transfer. For Barcelona, it has become another long, public negotiation in a summer that was supposed to be cleaner.
Sporting director Deco continues to push. The coaching staff continues to plan with Cancelo in mind. The paperwork, though, continues to slow everything down.
Al-Hilal brace for life without him
Al-Hilal’s behaviour tells its own story. The Saudi champions have already signed Mohammed Mahzari, a player who operates in the same area of the pitch as Cancelo. You do not move for a like-for-like option unless you are ready for an exit.
Their priority now is simple: recover what they invested when they took Cancelo from Manchester City. The asking price sits at around €10 million. Barcelona, knowing exactly what they are buying, are prepared to meet it.
From their point of view, the logic is clear. Cancelo knows the dressing room, understands the pressure and politics of the Camp Nou environment, and has already worked under Flick. He can play on both flanks, cover multiple roles in the defensive line, and step straight into a system he already recognises.
For Al-Hilal, the No.20 shirt is as much leverage as it is logistics. Until a deal is signed, he is their player, in their squad, on their training pitch.
Training in limbo
Because for now, officially, Joao Cancelo is back in Saudi Arabia.
He returned to Al-Hilal training on August 7 after his post-World Cup holiday, rejoining sessions while his future is thrashed out in offices thousands of kilometres away. Every sprint, every drill, every touch on the ball is taken with the knowledge that he could soon be packing for Catalonia again.
It is an awkward in-between. Registered with Al-Hilal, planned for by Barcelona. Wearing No.20 in Riyadh, envisaged as a key piece of Flick’s back line in Spain.
One club has him on the pitch. The other has him in their plans. The next signature will decide which vision wins.
