Benfica are interested in João Cancelo but are only offering a €6 million annual salary, making a deal unlikely.

According to a recent report by Marca, Benfica are also interested in João Cancelo, but are only willing to offer an annual salary of €6 million, making the likelihood of a deal extremely low.

Barcelona are still considering Cancelo’s future for next season. Sporting director Deco hopes the player can stay for another year, but the situation remains highly uncertain. On one hand, Cancelo still has one year left on his contract with Al Hilal, where he earns more than €15 million annually. On the other hand, Benfica have also expressed their interest.

However, a move to Benfica is highly unlikely. The salary they can offer is far below what he currently earns at Al Hilal, and also lower than what Barcelona are paying him. Barça are currently following a similar wage structure to the one previously used for Christensen, with Cancelo earning close to €6 million at the club.

Benfica are reportedly only willing to match that figure and offer a one-year contract. They are not optimistic about the deal, believing that even if Cancelo were open to a pay cut, he would not accept such a significant reduction. As a result, the possibility of Cancelo joining Benfica can practically be ruled out.

For Barcelona to sign Cancelo, they would need to commit significant financial resources. They are unable to negotiate directly with Al Hilal due to the high transfer cost and Financial Fair Play constraints, and can only wait for Cancelo to terminate his contract before negotiating a more favorable salary agreement with him.