Barcelona certain about keeping on-loan star, in constant contact with agent – Romano | OneFootball

Joao Cancelo has exceeded expectations since returning to FC Barcelona in January for a second loan spell.

Having signed from Al Hilal on a short-term deal until the end of the season, the 31-year-old full-back had a slow start, with Hansi Flick taking his time integrating the Portuguese ace into the team.

But in recent weeks, Cancelo has become a regular starter for the Blaugrana, impressing heavily, especially in the left-back slot. He was once again key for the team this past weekend in the 2-1 win over Atletico Madrid.

Barcelona want to keep Cancelo

Given how he has performed, FC Barcelona are absolutely certain about wanting to keep Cancelo at the club beyond the current season, reports Fabrizio Romano.

The Portuguese international, for his part, has his heart set on remaining in Catalonia for a longer time as well.

Cancelo has excelled on loan at Barcelona. (Photo by Eric Alonso/Getty Images)

As such, Barça are in constant contact with Cancelo’s agent, Jorge Mendes, to affirm their intentions with the player but also discuss potential options to sign him without it becoming a financial burden.

After all, the reigning champions of La Liga have other priority targets in the market and they do not wish to overspend on the permanent signing of Cancelo.

The full-back will have one year left on his contract with Al Hilal at the end of the season, and Barcelona would prefer to sign him for free, meaning he would need to negotiate a termination of his contract with the Saudi Arabian club.

In addition to that, Cancelo will need to accept a pay cut in order to join Barcelona permanently, given their salary cap concerns.

So, a lot of things will need to fall in place for the deal to go through, but for now, both the player and the club have the same interest – to extend the partnership beyond this season.