Cancelo Starts the Countdown. Barça Are Still Counting the Millions

João Cancelo is not waiting for an official announcement. The Portuguese defender posted a photo of himself wearing an FC Barcelona shirt on Instagram and added an hourglass. The message is obvious, but the transfer itself has not been confirmed.

According to Mundo Deportivo, Cancelo has already reached an agreement with Barcelona, while the club had previously agreed a fee of around €10 million with Al-Hilal. Reports from Saudi Arabia, however, claim the asking price has increased to €15 million. Cancelo has picked his shirt. The two clubs are still trying to decide how much it costs.

The defender was left out of Al-Hilal’s squad against Al-Faisaly. Simone Inzaghi confirmed that Cancelo continues to train normally but said the decision about his future belongs to the club’s board. There is still no official agreement between the clubs, only another very public signal from the player.

It is a familiar kind of story for Barcelona. In January, the club announced Cancelo’s loan and then deleted the announcement because one document was missing. Seven months later, the player is wearing the shirt and starting the countdown before negotiations have been completed. So far, the hourglass appears to be the only part of the operation working on schedule.

Source: Mundo Deportivo