Al-Hilal have signed Joao Cancelo from Man City as part of a €25m deal with the Portuguese full-back set to receive a huge wage with the Saudi Arabian champions.
The defender was expected to leave the Premier League champions this summer having fallen out of favour with Pep Guardiola during the 2022/23 campaign. Cancelo spent the last season and a half on loan with Bayern Munich and Barcelona but the Manchester club were seeking a permanent deal during the current transfer window.
The Catalan club were interested in bringing the Portuguese star back to La Liga but given their financial situation, a deal was very complicated, reports Mundo Deportivo.
Cancelo’s preferred destination was the Spanish city, however, with just days left in the transfer window, the defender has opted to move to the Saudi Pro League. Man City confirmed the 30-year-old’s move to Al-Hilal on Tuesday with a message from Cancelo thanking everyone at the Premier League club.
“I would like to wish everyone at City continued success in the future,” the full-back said via ManCity.com. “I had many very special moments during my time here at this great club.
“I would like to thank my team-mates, the coaches, all the staff at City and the fans for everything during my time here.”
Man City star Joao Cancelo joins Saudi Pro League champions Al-Hilal
Cancelo moves to Al-Hilal as part of a €25m package and is set to earn €15m per season at the Saudi Pro League champions, reports Fabrizio Romano.
The 30-year-old has signed a deal in the Middle East until 2027 and leaves Man City having spent five seasons with the Manchester club, winning every trophy in England as part of Pep Guardiola’s team.
The Spanish coach made the full-back one of the best players in his position during his time at the Etihad and despite declining in recent years, the defender would have still been good enough to play in one of Europe’s major leagues, but they could not compete with the money offered by the Saudi Pro League.