João Cancelo has not reported for Al-Hilal’s preseason training camp in Austria and is understood to be in Portugal waiting for the Saudi club and Barcelona to close a permanent transfer – a statement of intent from the player that is beginning to unsettle his contractual employers in Riyadh.
Where the Deal Stands
Transfer reporting aggregated over the past 24 hours confirms that Cancelo skipped Al-Hilal’s Austrian camp entirely, staying in Portugal while his agent Jorge Mendes continues to manage negotiations between the two clubs. Both sides have maintained contact, and a fee of approximately €10 million has been discussed for several weeks.
The most recent reporting, from Mundo Deportivo via Barca Universal, adds that Cancelo had been expected to join Al-Hilal’s squad on 29 July following his post-World Cup break. He did not arrive. Al-Hilal were in action during their preseason tour in Austria, losing 2-0 to MC Alger, and have offered no official explanation for Cancelo’s absence.
The contrast with Rúben Neves was pointed. The Portuguese midfielder, also an Al-Hilal player, returned to Austria on schedule, completed his medical tests, and was welcomed back publicly by the club on social media. Cancelo got no such acknowledgement, which tells its own story.
The Fiscal Detail That Has Held This Up
The sporting side of this deal has been effectively agreed for some time. Hansi Flick has approved Cancelo’s arrival and wants him in the team, and the player has maintained a clear desire to play for Barcelona, with no intention of returning to the Saudi Pro League.
What has dragged this into late July are fiscal and administrative complications on the Barcelona side. The primary source reporting confirms that Cancelo has now resolved the tax-related issues that were previously complicating his registration as a Barça player. That removes what had been the last substantive obstacle cited in Spanish media, leaving only the formal completion of the inter-club agreement.
Al-Hilal hold a contract with Cancelo until 2027. They are not going to move him for nothing, but their initial position – a demand approaching €15 million – has softened considerably. According to the daily Sport, the clubs have reached an agreement for Cancelo to permanently join FC Barcelona, with the transfer fee estimated at around €10 million including bonuses, and a contract running until June 2028. Cadena COPE framed the structure slightly differently, describing an initial six-month loan followed by a two-year permanent contract, still at a similar overall cost to Al-Hilal.
The contract length reported for the Barça side varies across outlets: Sport cited a deal running to June 2028, while other sources describe it simply as a two-year agreement. The discrepancy is worth noting, though it does not affect the fundamental shape of the deal.
Al-Hilal’s Awkward Position
Barcelona’s busy summer – which has seen the club actively pursuing multiple positions simultaneously, not just the right-back slot – means attention has been divided. But the Cancelo situation is becoming harder to manage passively from Al-Hilal’s perspective.
A player under contract until 2027 not showing up for preseason, with no official explanation from the club, is an uncomfortable position for Al-Hilal to be in publicly. Earlier in the saga, 365scores reported that Cancelo had told Al-Hilal he would only return if they sacked head coach Simone Inzaghi – widely read as a pressure tactic rather than a genuine demand, but one that illustrates how deteriorated the relationship between player and club has become.
Al-Hilal cannot afford to let this fester indefinitely. They have their own preseason objectives, and a player of Cancelo’s profile sitting in Portugal while they prepare for the new Saudi Pro League season is a distraction they would rather resolve quickly. That gives Barcelona modest but real leverage: the Saudi club’s desire for a clean resolution and a transfer fee works in Barça’s favour, even if Al-Hilal would prefer a slightly higher number.
What Resolves This
The evidence from multiple Spanish outlets points to a deal that is close but not yet signed. The clubs have spoken. The agent is managing the operation. The player’s contract terms with Barcelona are reported to be settled. The fiscal hurdles that delayed registration appear to have been cleared. What remains is formalising the inter-club agreement at the ~€10 million mark Al-Hilal are now prepared to accept.
Flick’s preference, reported consistently across Spanish media, is to have Cancelo join the squad for the preseason camp in England. Barcelona’s other transfer priorities are absorbing significant bandwidth, but the Cancelo operation is structurally simpler: the sporting consensus on both sides already exists, and the fee is not in serious dispute.
Cancelo remaining in Portugal rather than joining Al-Hilal in Austria reflects where his priorities lie. He has stated he has no intention of returning to the Saudi Pro League, and his only desire is to play for Barcelona. The question is not whether he joins Barcelona – it is how many more days pass before the paperwork catches up with that reality.
