Italian media: Al Hilal is willing to pay at least 60% of Cancelo's salary

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Cancelo's time with Al Hilal has come to an end, and Inter Milan are expected to finalize a transfer at the club level soon. The player has not yet made a final decision.

Reports indicate that Cancelo has been excluded from Al-Hilal's league squad, and now even his AFC Champions League squad is missing, making it likely that Serie A giants Inter Milan will quickly complete the transfer. Thanks to the positive foundation laid by the Nerazzurri's cooperation with the Saudi club last summer, the green light for this transfer may soon be on. Furthermore, Inzaghi is keen to sign Acerbi, which would facilitate the transfer.

Al-Hilal has never been closer to Milan, with Cancelo steadily moving towards Inter. The former Manchester City full-back's days at Al-Hilal are numbered, and his departure is a foregone conclusion.

Two key factors are driving this transfer forward: the attitude of manager Inzaghi and the player's salary. Regarding the former, last summer Inter Milan chose to let Simeone leave on a free transfer with one year remaining on his contract. Marotta and Ausilio could have demanded a transfer fee at the time, but they didn't; now they hope Al-Hilal will reciprocate.

Regarding the salary issue, Cancelo's current annual salary is a staggering €15 million, far exceeding Inter Milan's budget. Therefore, to facilitate the transfer, the Saudi side is willing to cover at least 60% of Cancelo's wages. Meanwhile, Inzaghi's team needs a center-back and is keen to sign either Acerbi or De Vrij, with the Italian international Acerbi being his first choice.

This would allow Inter Milan to "swap" the remaining six months of either Acerbi's or De Vrij's contract, freeing up salary space to sign Cancelo. Inter Milan is confident of completing the deal quickly.

However, Al-Hilal needs to clear one of their foreign players before signing Acerbi or De Vrij. Saudi league rules stipulate that a team can register a maximum of 10 foreign players for the first team, but can only field a maximum of 8 per match. Al-Hilal's foreign player quota is currently full.

The only obstacle to this transfer comes from Barcelona, and Cancelo himself is very keen to return to Camp Nou, but the Blaugrana currently have other more pressing transfer targets. Inter Milan, on the other hand, can provide Cancelo with ample playing time, which is crucial for his preparations for the World Cup.