Joao Cancelo makes Al-Hilal return as Barcelona transfer enters final stages | OneFootball

After having already landed two major signings to reinforce their attack, FC Barcelona now look set to address some other areas of their team. This is clear from the way they have been linked strongly with the Manchester City midfielder Rodri Hernandez, for whom they have already made their first offer.

Meanwhile, another operation on which they have been working for quite some time now is that of Joao Cancelo, whom Hansi Flick wanted in his team for the next season, after having been impressed by his performances on loan with the Blaugrana team in the second half of the last season.

Barcelona have been making steady progress in their talks with Al-Hilal for this signing, and the two clubs were hoping to complete this operation in the early days of August, but some minor bureaucratic and tax issues are delaying its conclusion.

The player, who participated in the World Cup 2026 with Portugal, and reached the Round of 32, was scheduled to rejoin the Saudi club in training some days ago. However, he did not report on the stipulated day, even though his international teammate, Ruben Neves, returned to train. As a result, the fullback also missed the team’s training camp in Austria.

However, Diario AS reports that the defender has now joined Al-Hilal in training, and he appeared in the images shared by the Saudi club related to the inauguration of their new training complex, Al-Majdiah Sports Complex.

Despite this development, Barcelona remain confident of landing Joao Cancelo in the coming few days. This transfer is expected to cost the Blaugranes around €8-10 million, mainly because the defender is in the last year of his contract with Al-Hilal. Hansi Flick will be particularly keen to have him at his disposal as soon as possible, as the next season is set to start in only two weeks.