Barcelona Optimistic About Joao Cancelo's Future
Barcelona’s pursuit of Joao Cancelo has moved from hopeful to genuinely optimistic, with Al-Hilal finally softening their stance on the defender’s future.
For months, the Saudi club held firm on a €15 million asking price. No discounts, no discussion. Now, according to reporting from Mundo Deportivo, that wall is starting to crack. Persistent negotiations, driven by super-agent Jorge Mendes, have nudged Al-Hilal towards a lower figure, giving Barcelona a realistic shot at keeping a player who has quietly become essential to Hansi Flick’s plans.
Cancelo pushes for Barca stay
Cancelo’s position could not be clearer. At 32, he wants Barcelona, he wants Camp Nou, and he wants continuity in Spain. Inside the club, they no longer see him as a short-term patch but as a key piece in a back line Flick trusts.
Around the talks, the message from sources is consistent: Al-Hilal are no longer slamming the door shut. The rigid valuation has eased, and with it, the chance of a permanent deal has grown. For Barca’s strained finances, that shift is everything. A more manageable fee turns a complicated wish into a feasible operation.
The driving force behind all this is Cancelo’s outright refusal to go back to Riyadh.
His frustration with his time at Al-Hilal has already spilled into public view. He has spoken of broken promises, of being told he would be registered for the Saudi league list only to be left out when it mattered. He has painted a picture of a player who kept his word and paid the price for others not keeping theirs. For him, that episode is closed. No second act.
No way back with Inzaghi
On top of that, there is the human layer that numbers never show: his relationship with Simone Inzaghi. Or, more accurately, the absence of one.
Those close to the situation describe it as non-existent. No connection, no feeling, no shared ground. With that backdrop, a return to Al-Hilal is considered practically impossible, whether Inzaghi stays in charge or not. The problem is deeper than tactics or game time; it is trust and chemistry, and those bridges look burned.
Cancelo’s focus is now singular. He wants to stay in Spain, work under Flick and extend a spell at Barca that has restored both his rhythm and his reputation.
Mendes spinning several plates
While Cancelo dominates the headlines, Mendes is not handling just one file at Barcelona.
The Portuguese agent is also involved in shaping the future of Marc Casado. The young midfielder does not appear in Flick’s long-term blueprint, and a move to Al-Hilal has emerged as a genuine possibility. It would be a neat twist: Cancelo out of Riyadh, Casado in, with Mendes orchestrating both sides of the exchange.
Up front, he is also testing the waters. Darwin Nunez has been floated as a potential low-cost attacking option for Barca’s frontline. He is not the first name on the club’s wishlist, though. That remains Julian Alvarez. Any serious move for Nunez depends on whether Barcelona can pry Alvarez away from his current situation. If they cannot, Nunez could quickly shift from idea to opportunity.
Left flank puzzle: Cancelo, Balde… and Cucurella?
While the Cancelo deal is the priority, Barcelona’s recruitment team is not looking at just one side of the defence.
Marc Cucurella, a former La Masia product, has signalled he is open to leaving Chelsea and returning to Spain. Barca are watching closely. The possibility of bringing back a homegrown left-back with Premier League experience is naturally appealing.
But here lies the tactical puzzle. Cancelo, by trade a right-back, has spent most of the 2025-26 season operating on the left for Barcelona. Alejandro Balde is already in place as a specialist in that role. Add Cucurella to that mix and the club suddenly risks an overload on one flank, with three players capable of starting but not enough minutes to keep all of them satisfied.
That congestion forces a sharper question inside the club: is Cancelo’s future in Barcelona as a left-sided full-back who can invert and build play, or as the long-term solution on the right? The answer will shape not only the Cucurella pursuit, but the entire structure of Flick’s back line.
For now, though, the immediate battle is clear. Secure Cancelo, lock down a fee that fits the budget, and keep a defender who has made it very clear where he believes his future lies.
