Al Hilal have moved to end speculation over Joao Cancelo’s absence from the start of their pre-season training camp in Austria, saying the Portugal international’s decision was known to the club before the squad gathered.
Reports had suggested that Cancelo missed the opening of the camp without permission from the Saudi Pro League club. However, sources at Al Hilal told Saudi newspaper Al-Midan Al-Riyadi that those claims were entirely untrue and insisted the player had not breached any club instructions.
The club’s management used official channels to notify its international players of the arrangements for the camp, including the dates on which each player was expected to join. Formal communications were sent by email and contained the timetable assigned to every member of the squad.
“Joao Cancelo’s absence from the team’s gathering in Austria came after direct coordination and prior permission from the club’s management. The player did not violate the instructions, and there is no truth to what was circulated about his absence without an excuse,” the sources said.
The clarification is intended to draw a line under the controversy surrounding Cancelo’s commitment and conduct as preparations continue. Al Hilal’s explanation indicates that his delayed arrival was handled through an agreed process rather than being an unauthorised absence.
At the same time, the sources said Cancelo’s transfer situation remains one of the club’s main priorities. Al Hilal are intensifying negotiations with Barcelona in an effort to complete a deal for the Portuguese full-back during the current summer transfer window.
Both Al Hilal and Barcelona are understood to want the matter resolved as soon as possible, with talks focused on Cancelo’s next move. The player’s eventual destination remains the subject of considerable interest among Al Hilal supporters.
Cancelo’s future is currently being viewed as a choice between staying in Riyadh with Al Hilal or returning to Europe through a move to Barcelona and the Camp Nou. The Saudi club’s latest statement does not settle that question, but it does reject the suggestion that the defender’s absence from the Austria camp was linked to a dispute with the management.
Instead, Al Hilal have confirmed that the player’s non-attendance was authorised before the team’s pre-season programme began, while negotiations over his possible transfer continue.
