Portuguese player João Cancelo is opening the door to leaving Al Hilal Saudi Club during the current winter transfer window, amid increasing talk about the possibility of his return to his former team, FC Barcelona.

Italian journalist Alfredo Pedulla confirmed that Cancelo's return to Barcelona is conditional on the player's agreement to reduce his salary over the next six months, as well as pressure on Al Hilal's management to facilitate his departure.

Barcelona aims to take advantage of the long-term injury of the Danish player Andreas Christensen in order to use part of his salary to register Cancelo's contract within the regulations of the Spanish league.

Cancelo is under contract with Al Hilal until June 2027, after the Saudi club completed the purchase of his contract from Manchester City for 25 million euros during the last transfer window.

Cancelo's full salary amounts to 15 million euros annually, which means that Barcelona would be required to pay 7.5 million euros for the remaining half of the season if the deal is completed.

Barcelona wants Al Hilal to cover half of this amount, paying only 3.75 million euros, while waiting for Cancelo himself to agree to reduce his salary to less than the proposed figure.

Cancelo's return to Camp Nou depends on financial agreement among all parties, in a deal that could become one of the standout stories of the European winter transfer window.