Cancelo Reports Back to Al-Hilal. Barcelona Are Still Reporting Optimism

João Cancelo has returned to Al-Hilal after his summer break. The Saudi club published official pictures from its new training centre, with the 32-year-old among the players reporting for pre-season. After several weeks of stories describing his Barcelona return as highly advanced, the defender’s most concrete move has been returning to the club that still own his contract.

Barça are working on a permanent transfer, Cancelo wants to return, and Fabrizio Romano says the Catalans are convinced that the deal will be completed before the window closes. Everything is therefore progressing nicely. All that is missing is an agreement with Al-Hilal, the signatures and the actual transfer — those minor details that occasionally separate Barcelona’s confidence from reality.

Cancelo’s presence in Saudi Arabia does not necessarily signal a problem. He is simply fulfilling his obligations to his current employer. Al-Hilal can now prepare a player for the season while Barcelona prepare to announce him. For the moment, Cancelo is training, optimism is growing and the transfer remains closer than yesterday but no closer to being official.