Portuguese full-back Jo\u00e3o Cancelo dreams of returning to Barcelona after a successful loan spell last season from Manchester City, during which he wore the blue and red shirt.<\/p>\n
Cancelo moved to Al Hilal last August, after spending the 2023\/2024 season on loan at Barcelona from his former club, Manchester City.<\/p>\n
According to information from the Spanish newspaper “El Nacional”, despite the player’s desire to return and compete at the highest level in Europe, this wish does not enjoy internal consensus within the Catalan club. While club president Joan Laporta is open to the idea of Cancelo’s return, it seems that both Hansi Flick and Deco have other priorities, which has kept the door closed to the Portuguese defender’s return.<\/p>\n
From the perspective of German coach Hansi Flick, Cancelo has impressive offensive abilities, as demonstrated during his time at Barcelona last season, where his attacking style fit well with the team’s tactical approach. However, Flick sees the Portuguese’s defensive shortcomings as a major obstacle that cannot be overlooked, as he prefers his full-backs to be solid and consistent defensively, qualities in which Cancelo has shown weaknesses.<\/p>\n
On the other hand, Deco, the club\u2019s sporting director, believes that relying on Cancelo again is not the best option for Barcelona\u2019s current sporting project, which aims to build a balanced and sustainable team both on the sporting and economic fronts.
\nDespite this rejection from some members of the technical staff, Joan Laporta holds a different view. He considers strengthening the defense a priority for the team, especially in light of the defensive issues the team has faced in recent seasons.<\/p>\n
The good relationship between Laporta and Cancelo’s agent, Jorge Mendes, may also help facilitate negotiations, both in terms of financial and contractual matters. For Laporta, Cancelo\u2019s return would be a practical solution that brings experience and depth to the defense, qualities that the team needs.<\/p>\n
For his part, Jo\u00e3o Cancelo is making every effort to return to Camp Nou. Although he has struggled to adapt to Saudi football, the player remains fully convinced that his style of play suits Barcelona\u2019s approach, and he feels he still has much to offer the club. Furthermore, he has shown a willingness to reduce his financial demands to facilitate the signing process, reflecting his commitment and strong desire to return to the team.<\/p>\n
The dilemma surrounding Cancelo\u2019s future remains a source of division within the club, with Laporta defending his return, while the responsibility for making the final decision lies with Flick and Deco, who appear to have the final say. So far, the player\u2019s return seems complicated, but in the world of transfers, unexpected developments cannot be ruled out.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Portuguese full-back Jo\u00e3o Cancelo dreams of returning to Barcelona after a successful loan spell last season from Manchester City, during which he wore the blue and red shirt. Cancelo moved to Al Hilal last August, after spending the 2023\/2024 season on loan at Barcelona from his former club, Manchester City. According to information from the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":11540,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11539","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-h-barcelona-english"],"yoast_head":"\n