The Saudis are ready to contribute to his €15 million-a-year salary. For the Portuguese player, who previously played for Inter in 2017–18, this would mark a return to San Siro
During the holidays, Joao Cancelo took just a half-bite of cake. He has decided half of his future and, for this reason, will not set foot in Saudi Arabia for the next six months. The second bite is still missing—the most important choice: the Portuguese player must decide which major European club will be the home for his wild, unpredictable talent between now and the World Cup in North America.
At first, when the wound from his split with Simone Inzaghi was still fresh, Joao saw himself exclusively in Barcelona, a city he knew from a lackluster season before ending up in the Saudi golden cage. Then, however, Inter came along and a storm hit the desert: they unexpectedly slipped into the gaps in the Catalans’ finances, but not before verifying Al-Hilal’s willingness to help out with the deal (as much as possible). The Riyadh Blues are a friendly club that, just six months ago, was able to welcome the coach—who was under contract with the Nerazzurri—without any real obstacles. And at the same time, they’d also like to shower Francesco Acerbi, a loyal supporter of Inzaghi, with millions: the 37-year-old, who has just returned from injury, however, would prefer a move to the Middle East at the end of the season rather than now.
Inter on standby— In short, in recent hours, Joao has seen firsthand how much Inter’s desire to sign him in a very short time outweighs that of the Blaugrana, who are, as always, constrained by financial fair play rules: the differing perspectives of the two clubs carry enormous weight in a race that remains wide open. In any case, returning to Milan, where he truly began to shine in 2017-18, is a prospect that increasingly appeals to Joao. The idea is taking shape hour by hour, partly because the 31-year-old winger himself has realized that the financial hurdle of his salary is, for Inter, less insurmountable than it might have seemed at first. The Nerazzurri have, in fact, detected an initial, decisive opening from the Riyadh-based club: Al-Hilal, which holds Cancelo’s contract until 2027 with a salary of 15 million euros net plus bonuses, could effectively contribute to paying a substantial portion of the massive salary remaining between now and June. On the Saudi side, there is, in fact, a strong desire to get rid of a problem that has dangerously erupted in the middle of Simone’s locker room as soon as possible: sparks have been flying between the Portuguese coach and Inzaghi from the start, and, following an injury, Cancelo has fallen down the pecking order to the point of being excluded from the squad for this 2026 season. The salary arrangement is strategic and gives Inter executives cause for optimism: Inter could pay a maximum of 3 million net, but the remaining 4.5 million would still be the Saudis’ responsibility. In any case, until all the pieces of the puzzle magically fall into place, it’s impossible to take any development for granted. From Inter’s perspective, the deal is still feasible—even “easy” in structure—but they can’t move forward until the player makes his decision in the coming days. In this scenario, time is the decisive factor: Inter needs to act with lightning speed to prevent other European giants from pouncing on the target, not to mention the fact that the gaping hole on the right left by Dumfries’ injury must be filled. There, the inconsistent Luis Henrique cannot carry the load alone for another two months.
on the move— Behind the scenes, however, the Nerazzurri are taking this extremely seriously and moving with great urgency: they’d like to see their former player back in Appiano as early as the first few days of January to assess his physical condition, and just around the corner—on the 11th—is the clash of titans against Napoli, where they’ll need every weapon at their disposal. While discussing figures with the Saudis, President Beppe Marotta and Sporting Director Piero Ausilio are in very close contact with Jorge Mendes, the super-agent who has good connections in Milan, but excellent ones in Catalonia as well. He has managed Cancelo’s career since the full-back’s debut with Benfica and spent the holidays on the phone with Inter’s management (as well as with Juventus, who inquired but did not make a formal offer): the phones rang on the last day of 2025 and again on the first day of 2026. Mendes himself, like Joao, took his exclusion from the Saudi list as a serious insult and demands that the new club truly believe in the Portuguese talent. Practical demonstrations of trust are needed: plenty are coming from Milan, far fewer from Barcelona.
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