Barcelona has never met a transfer it couldn’t complicate. The club’s latest financial tightrope act involves potentially shipping out one of its most promising young midfielders to secure a defender it already has on loan.

Marc Casadó, the 22-year-old midfielder who broke into Barcelona’s first team in 2024, is reportedly being floated as a makeweight in negotiations to permanently sign João Cancelo from Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal. The Portuguese full-back has been on loan at Camp Nou since January 2026, and Barcelona wants to keep him, just not at Al Hilal’s asking price of around €15 million.

The deal structure taking shape

Cancelo originally moved to Al Hilal from Manchester City for approximately $30 million in 2024. He then joined Barcelona on loan in January 2026, notably without a purchase option baked into the agreement. That absence of a pre-agreed fee means both clubs are now negotiating from scratch, and Al Hilal holds the leverage.

For Barcelona, packaging Casadó into the transfer would effectively reduce the cash outlay needed to complete Cancelo’s signing. It’s a classic swap-plus-fee structure, the kind of deal that European clubs have leaned on increasingly as transfer fees continue to inflate beyond what balance sheets can comfortably absorb.

What Barcelona would be giving up

Casadó is not some fringe squad player being cleared out to make room. The midfielder, born on September 14, 2003, has logged over 1,000 minutes with Barcelona’s first team since his promotion in 2024. He’s under contract until June 30, 2028, meaning the club holds significant control over his future and could command a meaningful fee from any interested buyer.

And there are interested buyers. Manchester United and Chelsea have both been linked with Casadó. Casadó’s reported market value of around €18 million further positions him as an attractive asset in any deal.

Al Hilal’s position and the Saudi factor

From Al Hilal’s perspective, acquiring Casadó would represent a notable coup. Al Hilal paid roughly $30 million for Cancelo just two years ago. Accepting a package that includes Casadó plus a reduced cash fee could actually leave them better off in terms of squad building, even if the raw financial return on Cancelo is lower than the €15 million they’re seeking in a straight cash deal.

For Casadó personally, a move to Saudi Arabia at 22 would be unconventional. Whether he’d willingly agree to such a transfer is a significant variable that no amount of club-to-club negotiation can resolve without the player’s consent.

The negotiations between Barcelona and Al Hilal remain fluid, with no concrete confirmation that Casadó’s inclusion has been formally agreed upon. But the mere fact that his name is circulating in these talks should concern Barcelona supporters who view him as part of the club’s long-term midfield core.