Barcelona deal for defender imminent as Flick gives green light

Barcelona are on the verge of completing a deal to bring back Joao Cancelo, according to multiple reports. The Portuguese full-back has been holding out for a move back to the Catalan giants, and it appears that he will get his wish.

Juventus and Barcelona had both enquired about Cancelo’s availability, as he was keen to leave Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia this transfer window. It was Inter that moved ahead with talks for the 31-year-old though, and had agreed a deal for Cancelo to return to Serie A. Yet Cancelo was keen to wait and see if Barcelona’s interest led anywhere, and it appears it will.

Cancelo return to Barcelona imminent

According to Matteo Moretto amongst others, the agreement between Barcelona and Al-Hilal for Cancelo is imminent. He has decided to give up a significant portion of his salary to make the move happen. Initially it was reported that Barcelona had offered to cover a small amount of the €7.5m he is set to earn in the second half of the season.

João Cancelo, a un paso del Barça.

El acuerdo con el Al Hilal es inminente, el futbolista portugués ya dio el sí hace días y está dispuesto a hacer un importante sacrificio económico para volver a España. https://t.co/yCopFLfx3p

— Matteo Moretto (@MatteMoretto) January 5, 2026

How much will Barcelona pay for Cancelo loan?

As per Sport, Al-Hilal were intent on securing 60% of Cancelo’s wages until the end of the season, which would amount to around €4m in total. At Barcelona, he is set to earn around €3m of the €7.5m due to him before the end of the campaign, while Cancelo will give up the difference between what the Saudi side were willing to cover.

Hansi Flick gives Cancelo deal green light

Over the past week it has been reported by multiple sources that Flick was not convinced by the idea of signing Cancelo, as he would have preferred to bring in a central defender. However MD say that Flick has given the green light to the deal, as Cancelo can operate on both flanks, and provide a more attacking alternative to Jules Kounde on the right side. It is not clear what is behind his change of heart, but unless Barcelona are able to make another move, Flick will be relying on Gerard Martin, Pau Cubarsi, Eric Garcia, Ronald Araujo and Jules Kounde as his options in central defence for the remainder of the season.