Al-Hilal ask Barcelona defensive target to report for pre-season | OneFootball

FC Barcelona’s pursuit of Joao Cancelo has entered a tense phase, with Al Hilal asking the Portuguese defender to report for pre-season.

The message from the Saudi club is clear: Cancelo still has one year left on his contract, and they do not intend to make his return to Barca easy.

According to SPORT, Al Hilal want the player to join their pre-season plans once his World Cup campaign with Portugal ends. Only after that will the club decide whether to sell him or keep him.

That complicates the picture for Barcelona, who had been hoping to reach an agreement quickly after Cancelo made his preference clear.

Cancelo only wants Barca

Cancelo has already asked to leave through his agent, Jorge Mendes. His position is firm: he wants to continue at Barcelona.

The full-back also has an agreement with Barca for the next two seasons and is willing to give up significant money from his Al Hilal contract to make the move happen.

The problem is that Al Hilal paid more than €20 million to Manchester City for him and now want to recover a good part of that investment.

For Barcelona, this is where discipline matters. Cancelo is Hansi Flick’s first option for the right-back role, and his loan spell proved he can still offer creativity, experience, and attacking quality.

That said, Barca cannot afford to lose control of the negotiation. Cancelo is useful, but not at any price.

The good news is that the player is pushing hard, Mendes is involved, and Al Hilal’s sporting structure is still being defined. Simone Inzaghi is expected to continue, while the club are also working on appointing a new sporting director.

Barcelona are prepared to wait until the end because they believe the operation is still possible. The key now is whether Al Hilal soften their stance or try to turn pre-season into a pressure tactic. For Barca, patience may be the strongest weapon.