Boosting the defensive depth of the squad was Barcelona’s main priority during the January transfer window, and it appears they have achieved just that with reports indicating Barcelona has reached an agreement with Al Hilal on a loan deal for former Blaugrana fullback João Cancelo.
Hansi Flick publicly admitted his wish to sign a defensive reinforcement in January given the alarmingly thin depth Barcelona currently have at the backline. Andreas Christensen’s long term injury was the latest blow, but the club could offload up to 80% of his salary by submitting his medical report to La Liga, opening the door for a replacement to arrive without further infringing Financial Fair Play rules.
With this fund potentially in mind, Barcelona have struck a deal with Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal to acquire Cancelo on loan for the rest of the season, covering €4 million ($4.6 million) of the player’s salary, according to Fabrizio Romano.
Mundo Deportivo, though, report the loan fee will be closer to €5 million ($5.9 million), which is the amount Barcelona would offload from Christensen’s salary.
Cancelo was bound to leave the Middle East this window and offered himself to Barcelona in recent days, targeting a return to Catalonia where he spent the 2023–24 season on loan from Manchester City.
With Barcelona currently in Saudi Arabia preparing for the Spanish Super Cup, negotiations with Al Hilal were able to move at a rapid pace, something that desperately needed to happen given they were not the only team interested in Portuguese fullback.
Barcelona Beat Out Inter Milan for Cancelo
Inter Milan were the other major club involved in the race to sign Cancelo. SPORT previously claimed the Italian giants had already reached a verbal agreement with Al Hilal for the transfer, and all that was missing was the green light from the player.
Cancelo’s desire to return to Barcelona appears to be the only detail that stalled the Inter deal, with the 31-year-old prioritizing a return to Spain even if it meant reportedly forfeiting a significant amount of his salary.
Flick’s main priority was to sign a left-footed center back, but he also stated that any potential move would “have to make sense.” The elite level options that meet that particular profile seem to be non-existent this winter, and after careful consideration, Flick also gave his seal of approval for the Cancelo move to materialize, per Mundo Deportivo.
Natural left back Gerard Martín has been deployed as a center back in Barcelona’s last seven La Liga games, winning them all. Cancelo’s arrival will likely make Martín’s move to the heart of defense permanent, while the Portuguese serves as an alternative to both Alejandro Balde and Jules Kounde on either flank.
Although it appears an official announcement is only a matter of time, Mundo Deportivo’s report suggests Cancelo won’t feature for Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup this week. The club must first get approval from La Liga to offload Christensen’s salary to then register Cancelo as their new reinforcement for the remainder of 2025–26.
Barcelona were under pressure from Inter to finalize an agreement with Al Hilal that aligned with their financial possibilities quickly. Nevertheless, it appears Barcelona managed to do just that, making Cancelo their first January signing of the Flick era.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Barcelona ‘Complete’ Surprise €4 Million Transfer for Former Player.
