Barcelona's Pursuit of João Cancelo Intensifies
Barcelona’s pursuit of João Cancelo has flickered back into life, and this time there is genuine movement on the other side of the table.
Al-Hilal, who had been holding firm at a €15 million asking price, are now prepared to soften their stance, according to Mundo Deportivo. Weeks of dialogue between the clubs — steered by super-agent Jorge Mendes — have started to bite. The once rigid figure is no longer untouchable, and suddenly a permanent deal for the Portuguese full-back looks far more realistic for Barça.
Cancelo pushes, Al-Hilal relents
At 32, Cancelo has made it abundantly clear where he wants to be. He has become a key piece at Camp Nou, a veteran presence in a back line being reshaped under Hansi Flick, and he has not hidden his wish to stay in Catalonia.
The pressure has not just come from Barcelona’s side of the table. It has come from the player himself. Cancelo’s refusal to return to Al-Hilal is the driving force behind the entire saga. His experience in Riyadh left a mark, and not a positive one.
“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,” he has said of his time there. “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."
That episode has clearly reshaped his relationship with the club. Sources close to the negotiations indicate that Al-Hilal are no longer slamming the door shut on an exit. Their initial valuation has softened, and with it, the path has opened for Barcelona to work towards a fee that fits their strained finances.
No way back with Inzaghi
On a sporting level, there is nothing to repair. Cancelo’s link with current Al-Hilal manager Simone Inzaghi is described as non-existent. No chemistry, no trust, no project to buy into. The feeling between player and coach simply is not there.
That reality makes a return to Riyadh almost unthinkable, regardless of what happens to Inzaghi’s future. Even if the Italian moves on, the bridge looks burned. For Cancelo, the priority is singular: stay in Spain, stay at Barcelona, and continue under Flick’s guidance.
Mendes’ busy desk at Camp Nou
While Cancelo’s case sits at the top of the pile, Mendes is spinning several other plates around the Camp Nou offices.
One of them is Marc Casado. The young midfielder does not feature in Flick’s long-term plans, and a move to Al-Hilal is on the table. In a twist of market logic, the same Saudi club that may release Cancelo could end up taking a Barça prospect in return, helping to balance both squads and possibly the numbers in any wider talks.
Up front, Mendes is also testing the waters. Darwin Núñez has emerged as a potential low-cost attacking option for Barcelona, a name that could gain weight if the club fail to secure their prime target, Julián Álvarez. For now, it remains a scenario, not a certainty, but it underlines how aggressively Barça are probing the market within their financial limits.
Left flank puzzle: Cancelo, Balde… and Cucurella?
There is another layer to all this. Barcelona are not only working on Cancelo; they are scanning the defensive market more broadly.
Marc Cucurella, a former La Masia full-back now at Chelsea, is understood to be open to a return to Spain. Barça are watching. The interest is logical on paper — a proven left-back, schooled in their own academy, looking for a new chapter.
But the squad map complicates things. While Cancelo is naturally a right-back, he has spent most of the 2025–26 season operating on the left for Barcelona, plugging gaps and offering Flick flexibility. Add that to the presence of Alejandro Balde, and a move for Cucurella starts to crowd the same flank.
A specialist like Cucurella would give Flick depth and competition, but it would also leave Barcelona heavily loaded on that side, with minutes to be rationed and egos to be managed.
For now, everything circles back to one decision. Locking in Cancelo on a permanent deal would give Flick a cornerstone to build around. The rest — Casado’s future, a possible Saudi detour, Núñez or Álvarez in attack, and Cucurella’s homecoming dream — will fall into place only once Barcelona know whether their most versatile full-back is truly theirs to keep.
