Barcelona president to speak to Flick and Deco to decide on January move for former defender | OneFootball

Joao Cancelo has emerged as an unexpected talking point for Barcelona in this ongoing January transfer window.

The Portuguese international is keen on leaving Al Hilal and wants to return to Europe, as he keeps one eye on the upcoming FIFA 2026 World Cup.

Recent reports have indicated Cancelo is desperate to rejoin his former club, Barcelona, and is waiting for the Catalan club to contact him.

Barcelona, though, have not exactly made a final decision regarding Cancelo. While the club have been in contact with his agent, Jorge Mendes, some reports have indicated they have doubts about a move due to his high salary.

Important meeting in Barcelona

Keeping that in mind, it appears the Barcelona bosses are looking to get rid of the Cancelo dilemma once and for all by holding a special meeting.

According to Fabrizio Romano, Barcelona president Joan Laporta will speak to sporting director Deco and head coach Hansi Flick to decide what to do with Cancelo.

Will Cancelo return to Barcelona this January? (Photo by Carlos Rodrigues/Getty Images)

The club bosses are aware that the Portuguese right-back is waiting on Barcelona to make a move. However, there are certain intricacies the club must handle.

For one, the club are still going through Financial Fair Play complexities, and can afford to replace only one player in Andreas Christensen. But with him being a centre-back, the club are ideally looking for a like-for-like replacement.

Another concern for Barça is Cancelo’s hefty €15 million salary at Saudi Arabia, which would be impossible for the club to match.

On the flip side, though, Cancelo’s return could alleviate Barcelona’s problem surrounding a lack of depth in the right-back position and would thus relieve Eric Garcia from having to serve as a backup for Jules Kounde.

Barcelona will keep all these factors in mind as they look to take a final call on Joao Cancelo.