Marca: Barcelona accelerate Cancelo talks, player to push for release from Al-Hilal

According to Marca, Barcelona are accelerating the process of signing Portuguese defender Cancelo, with the club's sporting department having launched a new offensive.

With less than a week until the team's pre-season training begins (July 13th,(CEST)), Barcelona continue to push forward with squad building as planned. The sports management department is currently handling all transactions according to the established timetable and has now officially launched its offensive for Cancelo. The two sides had previously been in contact, but negotiations were temporarily suspended while Portugal participated in the World Cup.

Barcelona hope to sign the player, who is currently still under contract with Al-Hilal. The main difficulty lies in terminating Cancelo's existing contract; his annual salary is very high, and the Blaugrana cannot afford it. The player himself will clearly express his desire to leave the club, hoping to find a solution for terminating his contract.

Barcelona are optimistic about the final outcome of this deal, believing they will have the player next season. However, they are also aware that negotiations will not be easy and may drag on longer than expected, not only due to financial disagreements but also because of some tax issues.

Head coach Flick has asked sporting director Deco to keep the Portuguese defender. Last season, Cancelo performed exceptionally well, arguably even taking the starting spot from Alejandro Balde at one point. Toward the end of the season, the coach did not hesitate to start Cancelo over academy product Balde, and he performed quite well.

Furthermore, Cancelo's importance to the squad lies in his ability to play on both flanks. Initially deployed primarily as a right-back due to being right-footed, he has since proven to be equally threatening on the left side. Xavi had already used him in this position during his tenure at Barcelona, and Flick continued with this arrangement last season.

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