Actually, everything seemed to indicate that the deal with João Cancelo was already finalized. On social media, the club already reported a successful medical check and welcomed the defender. But at the last minute, the transfer seems to have unexpectedly stalled.

Because the club has deleted all posts on X (formerly Twitter) that referred to Cancelo’s arrival – a rather unusual step that immediately caused unrest.

This action shows how complicated the negotiations probably are and that the deal is apparently far from being finalized. There are said to be issues with Al Hilal. As reported by Barça insider Alfredo Martínez (Onda Cero), the Saudi club is demanding the final clarification of some financial and contractual details before giving the green light.

The schedule has also been disrupted: the introduction of the Portuguese player, planned for Tuesday morning, has been postponed.

Currently, the legal departments of the Catalans are working under high pressure to clear the last hurdles – so that the transfer does not fall through just before the end of the transfer window. 

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.

📸 OSCAR DEL POZO – AFP or licensors