Manchester City announced on Tuesday a deal with Al-Hilal for the transfer of Joao Cancelo. The Saudis have paid the English side 25 million euros and will pay a salary of 15 million euros per season to their new signing. The Portuguese had been waiting for several weeks to see if Barcelona would be able to fit him into their wage budget for a new loan move, but it has not been possible.

Joao Cancelo has been disconnected from Manchester City since January 2023 despite being a key player for Pep Guardiola. First, he was on loan at Bayern Munich for half a season.

Then, he joined Xavi Hernandez’s Barcelona under the same formula. During these weeks, Joan Laporta’s board tried to repeat the last transfer on loan, but they could not because of their tight budget.

Pep Guardiola did not count on him despite having him under contract until 30 June 2027, so he has decided to transfer him to Al-Hilal for 25 million euros.

The former Valencia player leaves the big leagues for the first time in his career. This is Al-Hilal’s first signing all summer. It is curious how the flow of arrivals to the Saudi Arabian League has decreased after the 2023 boom.