Man City sell Joao Cancelo to Al Hilal as Portuguese full-back finalises exit
Cancelo ends a five-year stay at the Etihad Stadium, having spent time at Bayern Munich and Barcelona on loan in recent seasons
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Manchester City sold full-back Joao Cancelo to Saudi Arabian club Al Hilal for £21.2m.
The Portugal international agreed personal terms and finalised his departure from City on Tuesday, 19 months after he last played for them.
Cancelo spent the second half of the 2022-23 season on loan at Bayern Munich and was then borrowed by Barcelona last season.
The 30-year-old fell out of favour quickly at City after being named in the Premier League team of the year for the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons, with the Premier League champions feeling he could pose issues inside the dressing room after losing his place.
His departure means City have brought in around £150m in summer sales this summer to satisfy the Premier League’s profit and sustainability regulations.
Julian Alvarez’s £82m move to Atletico Madrid was the most lucrative, while further funds were accumulated from the sales of Tommy Doyle, Taylor Harwood-Bellis, Liam Delap, Micah Hamilton and Sergio Gomez.
Cancelo, a £60m signing from Juventus in 2019, scored nine goals in 154 games for City.
Meanwhile, Al Hilal bought Cancelo’s Portugal teammate Ruben Neves last year, along with Neymar, Yassine Bounou, Kalidou Koulibaly and Aleksandar Mitrovic.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments