Joao Cancelo Left Out of Al-Hilal Squad as Barcelona Talks Stall
Joao Cancelo’s wait for a return to Barcelona has taken another awkward turn. The full-back has been left out of Al-Hilal’s squad for their Saudi league opener against Al-Faisaly, Barça Universal reported on Friday, citing SPORT, with talks between the two clubs still at a standstill.
Simone Inzaghi left the 32-year-old out on the basis that he is not yet in the condition to compete, even though he has spent the past week training with his Al-Hilal teammates after being called back from his summer break.
According to the same report it is not the first friction between the pair, with Cancelo having previously been left on the bench and out of matchday squads under Inzaghi. He now misses the Saudi season’s first competitive game.
Hansi Flick has made no secret of wanting him back. Cancelo spent the second half of last season on loan at Barcelona, playing mostly at left-back and displacing Alejandro Balde as the first choice there.
What is holding the Joao Cancelo deal up
Money. Al-Hilal want around €10m for a player with a year left on his deal, while Barcelona are pushing for a significant reduction and have looked at different ways to structure it.
The Catalans are not rushing, and they are dealing with the Saudi club on a second front: as we reported this week, Al-Hilal are readying an improved offer for Marc Casadó.
Barça Blaugranes makes the point that there are less than three weeks of the window left — it closes on 31 August — and Barcelona still have the Rodri deal to finish. A weekend on the outside will not lower Al-Hilal’s price on its own, but it does make Cancelo’s position there harder to hold.
