5 days ago
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FC Barcelona are continuing to take concrete steps to finalise the signing of Joao Cancelo from Al Hilal.
After reaching a verbal agreement on Monday, the Blaugrana have been working through all the necessary paperwork to close the deal contractually, with only the final formalities remaining before it becomes official.
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There is also complete agreement with the player, as Cancelo made Barcelona his absolute priority from the outset. His clear intention has helped accelerate the process.
Announcement imminent
According to SPORT, the final signatures, both from the Barcepma president and board, and from Cancelo himself, could be completed in the coming hours.
If that last step is confirmed, the right-back will officially become a Barcelona player. Even so, the club stress that while everything is very much on track and internally considered a done deal, the contract has not yet been signed.
Set to sign this week. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)
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Barcelona’s plan is to announce the signing this Friday, taking advantage of the current competitive break.
However, Cancelo’s official presentation will have to wait. The club do not intend to hold it while the team are in Jeddah, preferring to do so once the squad returns to Barcelona.
With a total agreement already in place, there will be no need for directors or executives to travel or hold in-person meetings.
If everything proceeds as expected, the contract will be signed electronically in the next few hours, bringing an end to a short but intense saga.
It was suggested that Al Hilal manager Simone Inzaghi might want to hold on to the player until 12 January, so that the player can be at his disposal for the game against Al Nassr. But it might not turn out that way.
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