Barcelona mapping out permanent transfer for João Cancelo

Barcelona are already laying the groundwork to keep João Cancelo at the club beyond the current campaign, with talks between the Catalan side and the player’s representatives under way, according to SPORT.

The Portugal international arrived on a straight six-month loan in January after a prolonged stay in Saudi Arabia with Al Hilal. Initially short of match fitness, Cancelo struggled to impose himself, but a recent display against Levante offered a glimpse of the quality Barça believed they were acquiring. Operating from left-back, he advanced aggressively, twice beat his marker and delivered a precise cross that teed up Frenkie de Jong for the decisive goal. It was, in miniature, the high-risk, high-reward package that enticed the club when the winter move was hastily arranged.

The switch was never part of the original winter blueprint. Barça had entered the market searching for central-defensive cover after Andreas Christensen’s injury, yet baulked at the prices quoted for available centre-backs. Cancelo’s versatility—comfortable on either flank or even stepping into midfield—made him an attractive stop-gap. Under the terms of the loan, Barça assumed only the portion of his wages permitted by LaLiga’s salary cap, with Al Hilal continuing to shoulder a sizeable share. The player himself accepted a pay cut to facilitate the transfer, rejecting late interest from Inter Milan.

No purchase option was inserted into that six-month agreement, and sources stress that the club will not deviate from a key condition: any permanent deal must see Cancelo terminate his Saudi contract and arrive as a free agent. Paying a transfer fee is described internally as “non-negotiable.” Further financial tightening would be required, with negotiations centred on a two-year deal at a drastically reduced salary compared with his Al Hilal earnings.

Sporting considerations are equally stringent. At present, Cancelo is not viewed as a replacement for either Jules Koundé or Alejandro Balde in the starting hierarchy. Instead, he is valued as a tactical wildcard, a full-back who habitually drifts inside to overload midfield and provoke numerical advantages. Such freedom can leave space behind him, a gamble Barcelona are willing to take if the peaks outweigh the troughs. The Levante performance is the template; the club are betting it becomes the norm rather than the exception.

With four months remaining on the loan, Cancelo’s camp and Barcelona’s technical secretariat will continue to monitor performances and financial variables. If both metrics align, the 29-year-old’s stay in Catalonia could be extended—on the club’s strict terms.

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