PARIS — Al Hilal has officially signed Portuguese player João Cancelo, 30, from Manchester City, following a recommendation from Al Hilal's Portuguese coach, Jorge Jesus. Jesus expressed a desire to strengthen the full-back position by bringing in his compatriot Cancelo. The player is set to represent Al Hilal for the next three seasons in what is considered one of the most significant deals of the season in the Saudi Pro League. The transfer fee agreed upon by Al Hilal to acquire Cancelo from Manchester City is 25 million euros, which will be paid in three installments. The first payment is due immediately upon signing the contract, with two additional payments scheduled for 2025. This acquisition also serves to fill the void left by Saud Abdul Hamid's move to Italian club AS Roma. Abdul Hamid previously occupied the right-back position at Al Hilal, a role Cancelo is well-equipped to fill, having the versatility to play both right and left-back. Cancelo's professional career began with Benfica in Portugal in 2014, where he also played under Jorge Jesus, who was managing Benfica at the time. He later moved to Valencia in Spain, where he played from 2015 to 2017, followed by a loan to Inter Milan for the 2017-2018 season. Cancelo then spent a season at Juventus in 2018-2019 before transferring to Manchester City in 2019. He continued there until 2023, which included loan spells at Bayern Munich and Barcelona, before Al Hilal successfully negotiated his transfer from Manchester City.
