Man City agree £21m transfer for defender as budget gets £187m boost

Joao Cancelo's turbulent five year spell at Manchester City looks set to come to an end as the club agreed a permanent sale with Al Hilal on Monday evening.

Cancelo has not played a competitive game for City since leaving on loan for Bayern Munich in January 2023 having fallen out with Pep Guardiola over his status in the squad. A season-long loan at Barcelona followed last season but their dire financial situation has prevented them from making the move permanent.

Now, Saudi Pro side Al Hilal have agreed a €25m (£21m) deal to sign Cancelo, 30. Personal terms must now be negotiated, with confidence that the Portugal international will accept the move.

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Should Cancelo complete his move, he will take City's agreed summer deals to over £145m, with potential add-ons rising to around £187m.

Julian Alvarez joined Atletico Madrid for £64m, rising to £81m, while Taylor Harwood-Bellis, Liam Delap, Tommy Doyle and Sergio Gomez have left for a combined £53m. Exits for Micah Hamilton, Alexander Robertson and Kane Taylor boosted the budget further, while City have loaned Yan Couto to Borussia Dortmund with an obligation to buy next summer for £25m.

Cancelo's £21m ends a spell that began with a slow first year as he adapted to Guardiola's system, before becoming an integral part of three Premier League title successes - including a revolutionary role as an inverted full-back.

But the emergence of Rico Lewis in 2022/23 saw Cancelo fall out with Guardiola and quickly loaned out in January 2023, later accusing the manager and club of