Having left in the summer of 2024 for the Saudi Pro League for 40 million euros, with a nice salary of 70 million euros over three years, João Cancelo sees his adventure compromised for this second season at Al-Hilal. With the arrival of Simone Inzaghi, the Portuguese started the season well, but then lost his place after a two-month long hamstring injury that occurred during the month of September. And since then, the adventure of the ex-Manchester City full-back has become seriously complicated.
João Cancelo returned to competition last November and was limited to appearances in the Champions League, scoring one goal and providing two assists, while awaiting a decision on his re-registration. But according to local media ArriyadiyahSimone Inzaghi does not plan to register her for national competitions from January. Despite some internal voices at the Riyadh club believing that it would be more appropriate to dismiss the Uruguayan Darwin Núñez, the Italian coach is firm in his positions and no longer intends to play the 31-year-old player.
The Premier League and Portugal follow João Cancelo
Indeed, the rules of the Saudi Pro League allow up to eight foreign players to be included per match in a team’s squad and Simone Inzaghi therefore does not intend to sacrifice another player to reinstate the Portuguese full-back. The Italian would remain firmly attached to the retention of Darwin Núñez, who arrived last summer from Liverpool, convinced of the usefulness of keeping him to lead the attack of the Saudi team. And after Sportthe Portuguese international wants to leave immediately and is looking for a destination in order to arrive at the 2026 World Cup in the best conditions.
Many rumors are circulating about him, associating him in particular with Barça, even if the full-back is not a priority for the Catalan club. His agent, Jorge Mendes, is actively looking for a base for him in Europe, since Al-Hilal could cover a large part of his salary in the event of a loan. Several Premier League clubs are interested, as are the big Portuguese clubs, who could also try their luck. The 31-year-old will know his club’s final decision in the coming days and could therefore lead this winter transfer window…
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