TRANSFER: Saudi club Al-Hilal agree deal to sign Manchester City star in €35m deal amid interest from Barcelona

Despite Barcelona’s interest, Al-Hilal was able to sign Joao Cancelo from Manchester City for a fee of €35 million.
Joao Cancelo’s transfer odyssey may soon come to an end as Al-Hilal is getting close to signing the Manchester City player. The Premier League’s biggest teams and the Saudi Pro League’s biggest players have agreed to a deal worth around €35 million for the Portuguese full-back. This information was reported by City Report.

When Cancelo was at the height of his abilities just a few seasons ago, he was one of Pep Guardiola’s most vital players for Manchester City. However, the Spanish manager and the Portuguese international fell out due to a lack of playing time. Since then, everything has only gotten worse for the 30-year-old.

Before spending the entire 2018–19 season on loan at Barcelona, he had a brief stay with Bayern Munich. Cancelo played in 42 games and even assisted on nine goals, therefore he had a significant impact on the Spanish team. When necessary, he performed as a right winger in addition to playing on both flanks.

The giants from Spain were hoping to find a method to sign him during the first part of the window and hoped to do it permanently. But those discussions gradually dwindled as Barcelona turned its attention to bolstering their offensive.

Cancelo is not currently a financially viable choice for them, even if they would love to have him in their lineup. There are still three years remaining on the Portuguese defender’s City contract. Under Guardiola, though, he is not likely to play any minutes.

The 30-year-old, who still has a few years left in him, is pressing for a move away, and Manchester City has been searching for the right place for him. Al-Hilal has become Cancelo’s possible destination. Some of the top names now play for the Saudi Pro League club, and they plan to add a few more before the transfer market closes.

The player would rather remain in Europe, but moving to the Middle East would enable him to land a big contract. Al-Hilal has accelerated their chase of the former Benfica winger after entering into talks with Manchester City and reaching a deal worth more than €35 million.