Barcelona losing hope of imminent defender deal despite total agreement | OneFootball

Barcelona have two clear priorities for the rest of the summer: bring in a new striker and re-sign Joao Cancelo. The first of these is proving to be very difficult due to Atletico Madrid’s insistence not to sell Julian Alvarez, but things are not much easier when it comes to the Portuguese full-back.

Cancelo was a standout performer for Barcelona during the second half of last season. He made the left-back position his own, which has led to the entire sporting department being in agreement that a permanent deal must be sought this summer, as per MD. Head coach Hansi Flick and sporting director Deco are determined to land the defender, although Al Hilal will not make it easy.

Despite only having a year left on his contract, Al Hilal are determined to get top dollar for Cancelo. They had previously asked for €15m, but despite lowering these demands, they are not willing to simply give the Portugal international away, which is what Barcelona want.

Because of this, MD have reported that Barcelona expect talks between themselves, agent Jorge Mendes and Al Hilal to drag on for several weeks. The feeling is that an agreement will not be found until after the summer transfer window opens at the very earliest, and this is largely to do with the situation at the Saudi Pro League side.

Cancelo decision delayed due to Al Hilal uncertainty

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According to the aforementioned report, Al Hilal are currently in the process of hiring a new sporting director. Once one is appointed, they must then decide whether to sack head coach Simone Inzaghi, who has a fractured relationship with Cancelo.

If Inzaghi is let go, the new head coach would be given the option of keeping Cancelo or not. If he votes in favour of an exit, it would be easier for Barcelona to get their man – especially if they include him in a deal to sell Marc Casado to the Saudi club. But if it goes in the opposite direction, they may have to wait until his Al Hilal contract expires in the summer of 2027, which would be far from ideal.