Joao Cancelo misses Al-Hilal return amid Barcelona transfer talks | OneFootball

It has been a few days since the end of the World Cup 2026, and the first few FC Barcelona players who participated in this competition have already returned to training with Hansi Flick ahead of the start of the 2026-27 season. This is also the case with other clubs around the world who saw their players play in the biggest international competition.

However, as SPORT has reported, the fullback Joao Cancelo, who was scheduled to return to his club, Al-Hilal, yesterday, on Wednesday, has still not returned to his club, as he continues to wait for his departure to the Catalan club.

The Spanish outlet has cited Arriyadiyah.com to report that the defender and his international teammate, Ruben Neves, were both required to report back for training on 29th July. While the midfielder reported to his club and passed his medical tests on that date, there was no news about the fullback.

This development comes at a time when the Portuguese defender is looking to return to Barcelona, after already having played for the La Liga club in two different loan stints. Meanwhile, Hansi Flick has also asked his club to ensure his signing this summer, after having been impressed by his performances on the left flank in the second half of the last season.

For their part, Al-Hilal are not putting any barriers in the way of his departure and negotiations with the Blaugrana club are expected to be finalized, with the transfer fee expected to be around €10 million, especially because the defender has only a year left on his contract.

Thus, it is not clear why Joao Cancelo did not return to his club on the scheduled date. One reason could be his desire to fast-track the operation for his departure to Barcelona, and going forward, it remains to be seen when and whether the Blaugranes will be able to complete this operation.