Joao Cancelo's Uncertain Future: Training with Al-Hilal While Eyeing Barcelona

Joao Cancelo is training in Saudi Arabia. His head and heart are in Barcelona.

The Portuguese full-back joined Al-Hilal’s sessions last Friday, dragged back into a reality he does not want while Barcelona and the Saudi club haggle over the final details of a permanent transfer. The move is not in doubt, only delayed. Everyone involved knows it. Cancelo is making sure everyone hears it.

According to Spanish newspaper Marca, Barcelona remain entirely confident of closing a deal to bring Cancelo back to the Spotify Camp Nou on a permanent basis. Talks with Al-Hilal have stretched over weeks, edging towards the finish line, then stalling on a handful of tax-related points. Technicalities, not obstacles. The kind that slow operations down but rarely derail them.

The timing, though, has hurt the player.

Because the agreement was not wrapped up in time, the 32-year-old Portugal international had to report back to Al-Hilal on Friday, a step he took reluctantly and only because he had no other choice. His message since then has been relentless: he sees his future in Catalonia, under Hansi Flick, in a dressing room he already calls home.

Cancelo has used his own platform to underline that stance. On social media, he posted a photograph of himself celebrating a goal in a Barcelona shirt, a simple but pointed reminder of where he believes he belongs. No cryptic captions, no ambiguity. Just a clear, visual statement of intent. Inside the club, officials have welcomed that show of commitment and rallied around him, publicly and privately backing his desire to stay.

Barcelona’s hierarchy, for their part, are working to turn that desire into a definitive contract. The plan is to complete a permanent transfer this week, which would mark Cancelo’s third spell at the Spotify Camp Nou but his first as a fully owned player. He first arrived on loan from Manchester City in the 2023-2024 season, then returned on loan again from Al-Hilal in 2025-2026. Each time, he slotted seamlessly into the side. Each time, the question lingered: when would this become permanent?

That question now hangs over the final stages of the negotiations. The structure of the deal is in place, the will is clear on all sides, and only the last legal and tax details stand between Cancelo and the stability he has been chasing for years.

For now, he trains in Saudi Arabia and waits. Barcelona push to bring him back. And a full-back who has already chosen his home can only hope the paperwork finally catches up with his ambition.