Joao Cancelo's Future at Barcelona: Final Push for Permanent Transfer

Joao Cancelo is training in Saudi Arabia. His heart is somewhere else entirely.

The Portuguese full-back joined Al-Hilal’s sessions last Friday, dragged back into a reality he no longer wants while Barcelona and the Saudi club haggle over the final details of a permanent transfer. The paperwork is slow; his message is not.

Cancelo has spent the last few hours making one thing unmistakably clear: he sees his future in a Barcelona shirt.

Barcelona push to close Cancelo deal

According to Spanish outlet Marca, Barcelona are “fully confident” of completing a permanent deal to bring Cancelo back to the Spotify Camp Nou. Talks with Al-Hilal have been running for weeks and are described as practically done, with only a few tax-related issues still on the table.

Those points are causing delays, not doubts. The agreement is considered intact, just stuck in the final stretch of negotiations.

That delay has had a very real consequence. With no deal signed and no green light from the clubs, the 32-year-old Portugal international had to report back to Al-Hilal on Friday, a move he made reluctantly and very much against his wishes.

A player who has already chosen

Cancelo has not tried to hide where he stands. Inside the Barcelona dressing room, he talks of the club as home and the squad as his family. He wants to play under Hansi Flick, to be part of the new project, and to turn his previous loan spell into something permanent.

He underlined that stance again on social media, posting a photo of himself celebrating a goal in a Barcelona kit. No long caption, no ambiguity. Just an image that says he has already chosen his colours.

Within Barcelona, that gesture has gone down exactly as he hoped. Club officials have backed his position and praised his insistence on returning, reading it as a clear sign of commitment at a time when the club is trying to rebuild its core.

Third time, this time to stay

Barcelona’s hierarchy are now working to finalise what would be Cancelo’s third stint at the Spotify Camp Nou, and his first as a permanent signing.

He first arrived on loan from Manchester City for the 2023–2024 season, then returned again on loan from Al-Hilal in 2025–2026. Both spells convinced the club of his value: a versatile full-back who can change the rhythm of a game from either flank.

This week is shaping up as decisive. The structure of the deal is in place, the player is openly pushing for the move, and only those lingering tax details stand between Cancelo and the home he insists is already his.