Barcelona fully confident of completing veteran Portuguese star’s transfer – Romano | OneFootball

Barcelona have focused exclusively on making attacking signings this summer, bringing in the likes of Anthony Gordon, Karim Adeyemi and Jesse Bisiwu.

The club are keen on reinforcing the squad at Hansi Flick’s disposal and are still trying to sign Julian Alvarez from Atletico Madrid.

One other player the club have been trying to sign for some time now is Joao Cancelo. The Al Hilal full-back spent the second half of last season on loan at the club.

Cancelo performed exceedingly well during his six-month stint at the club, with the 32-year-old displacing Alejandro Balde as the starter at left-back.

Now, according to Fabrizio Romano, Barcelona remain confident that Cancelo will return to the club before the summer transfer window closes.

Cancelo continues to push for Barcelona

Talks with Al Hilal remain active, while Cancelo has made it clear that Barcelona are his only priority.

Barcelona pushing for Cancelo. (Photo by Jack Gorman/Getty Images)

The Portuguese full-back has already communicated his preference, giving the Blaugrana an important advantage in the negotiations.

His position removes one of the biggest uncertainties from the operation. Barça do not need to convince the player, only Al Hilal.

Cancelo is already well settled in Flick’s setup, and there should be no period of adaptation if he moves to the club.

Transfer fee and formula remain the key issue

The hold-up in the deal so far is agreeing financial terms with the Saudi Pro League club.

Al Hilal may no longer have Cancelo in their plans but still see him as a sellable asset and want a transfer fee to reflect that.

Reports have suggested that an agreement for a €10 million fee is close, but the deal is yet to be finalised.

Sporting-wise, Cancelo would give Flick another experienced option on both sides of the defence. His ability to move inside, create chances and support attacks offers something different from Barcelona’s more traditional full-backs.

Cancelo only wants Barcelona (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

He can also help unlock deep defensive blocks, where an extra creative player from the back can be decisive.

If he signs for Barça, he is most likely to compete with Alejandro Balde for the starting role at left-back.

Abundance of riches at right-back

The Catalan club already have Jules Kounde, Eric Garcia, Xavi Espart and Hector Fort to play at right-back and will not need the 32-year-old’s services in that position.

There are defensive risks, and Barcelona already know them well. Cancelo needs structure around him and cannot be treated as a solution to every tactical problem.

What he offers offensively compensates more than enough for his defensive fragilities, and this is a signing Barça should find a way to complete at all costs.

Cancelo only wants Barcelona, and it remains to be seen how long it takes before an agreement with Al Hilal is reached.