Manchester City have reached an agreement with Saudi Pro League club Al-Hilal to sell defender Joao Cancelo in a deal worth £21.2 million.
While personal terms are yet to be finalised, Cancelo is expected to sign a three-year contract if he agrees to the move, ending his five-year tenure at the Etihad Stadium.
Cancelo, 30, has had a complicated relationship with City in recent months.
Despite Pep Guardiola’s recent comments that the Portuguese full-back could still play for the club, the underlying disagreements that led to Cancelo being loaned to Bayern Munich and Barcelona over the past 18 months appear to have made his departure inevitable.
🚨 João Cancelo will sign for Al-Hilal. ✍️🇸🇦
Salary: €15M/year.
Fee: €25M. 💰
(Source: @Lequipe) pic.twitter.com/T3564Nuvis
— Transfer News Live (@DeadlineDayLive) August 26, 2024
Joao Cancelo has not featured in City’s two Premier League matches this season and was also absent from the squad for the Community Shield victory over Manchester United.
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The defender’s lack of involvement this season comes despite having been Guardiola’s first choice as an inverted full-back following his arrival from Juventus.
Cancelo’s potential move to Al-Hilal marks the end of a rollercoaster spell at Manchester City, where he initially thrived but eventually fell out of favor, leading to his exit from the club.
