Defender planning to force Barcelona move after 2026 World Cup | OneFootball

Barcelona have scaled down their transfer business for the time being, but efforts will ramp up against after the 2026 World Cup is over. Having already signed Anthony Gordon pre-tournament, they want to bring in at least a couple more players, with one of those being Joao Cancelo.

Having spent the second half of last season on loan at the Spotify Camp Nou, Cancelo produced a string of impressive performance on the way to helping Barcelona seal a second La Liga title in a row. He made the left-back position his own, and because of this, it was quickly established that a permanent deal would be sought this summer.

However, Barcelona’s efforts have been in vain so far, with little movement towards an agreement with Al Hilal, who have Cancelo pencilled in to return for pre-season after the conclusion of the World Cup. However, the player himself has made it clear that he will not be back to Saudi Arabia, and as per Sport, his plan is to force through a return to Catalonia this summer.

Cancelo intends to meditate situation

Cancelo has already communicated to Al Hilal that he has no desire to fulfil the final year of his contract, and thus, he asked them to negotiate a sale to Barcelona. Until now, there has been no agreement due to the Saudi Pro League side demanding €10m for a transfer, and if this impasse remains in place until after the World Cup, the Portuguese will get involved personally to ensure he gets the outcome that he wants.

It’s clear that Cancelo will push hard to return to Barcelona, and understandably so given that he is very welcome at the Spotify Camp Nou. The likelihood is that an agreement does eventually get reached, but it remains to be seen exactly when that happens.