João Cancelo to Barça: The Return of a Man Who Never Really Left

A third arrival, the first that is permanent

João Cancelo is set to become an FC Barcelona player for the third time, and for the first time on a permanent basis. The 32-year-old full-back has agreed to terminate his contract with Al-Hilal, a source confirmed to ESPN, allowing him to join the Spanish champions as a free agent. Mundo Deportivo reports he is expected to sign a two-year deal on Tuesday, while Fabrizio Romano reported the player had been given the green light to travel to Catalonia.

The Portugal international first joined Barcelona on loan for the 2023-24 season under Xavi Hernández, then returned on loan last January. Across the second half of the 2025-26 campaign he made 23 appearances, scored twice and registered four assists, helping the club to the LaLiga title and becoming the first player this century to win four of Europe's top five leagues.

He would be Barcelona's fourth signing of the summer, after Anthony Gordon, Karim Adeyemi and Jesse Bisiwu, and he is unlikely to be the last. The club continue to pursue Manchester City midfielder Rodri, a centre-forward — Atlético Madrid's Julián Álvarez among the names — and possibly a centre-back.

The sacrifice that unlocked the deal

For most of the window, the obstacle was money. Barcelona and Al-Hilal had reached a verbal understanding on a fee of no more than €10 million including bonuses, according to RAC1, before reports from Saudi Arabia suggested the Pro League club had raised their demand to €15m. Al-Hilal had paid €25m to sign Cancelo from Manchester City in 2024 and held a contract running to 2027.

The route out ran through the player's own earnings. Marca reported that Cancelo agreed to forfeit a substantial portion of his remaining salary to secure an immediate departure from Saudi Arabia. Saudi journalist Abdullah Al-Hunayan, cited by FCB World, put the figure at roughly eleven months of wages, a considerable loss for a player in the closing phase of his career.

It was his second concession, not his first. He had already accepted a reduction of around a third of his Saudi salary — one report suggested closer to half — simply to complete the January loan, and RAC1 says he has taken a further cut on his new Barcelona terms. The effect was to remove the transfer fee from the equation entirely and hand Barcelona a proven full-back for nothing.

I didn't think twice about coming back, Cancelo said on his return in January.

Why Barcelona pushed

Hansi Flick was the principal driver. The German coach was reportedly surprised by the quality of Cancelo's performances early in the loan and gave his definitive approval to the sporting department to pursue a permanent deal, valuing a defender who can operate on either flank.

Several factors pushed the transfer toward termination rather than sale: the player's determination to leave, the volume of foreign players in Al-Hilal's squad, and a strained relationship with coach Simone Inzaghi. Cancelo had struggled to settle in Saudi Arabia from the start, and the situation deteriorated when he was left out at a stage when he needed match rhythm ahead of the World Cup. Super-agent Jorge Mendes was heavily involved in negotiations. Sporting director Deco has been open about the reasoning.

We have made efforts to sign Cancelo because he has shown time and time again that he's a crazy Barca fan, Deco said.

Not signed until it is signed

Barcelona have reason to be careful with the announcement. In January the club published confirmation of the loan, then deleted every trace of it within minutes because documentation had not yet cleared between the Spanish and Saudi federations in the Transfer Matching System. The signing ceremony went ahead at the club's offices that Tuesday regardless, attended by president Joan Laporta, first vice-president Rafael Yuste, board member Joan Soler and Deco, along with the player's family, and Cancelo was later confirmed in the number 2 shirt.

For now the deal remains unannounced. The negotiation is described as effectively complete, with only signatures and paperwork outstanding. Cancelo's arrival is also expected to accelerate decisions on Héctor Fort and Xavi Espart, with sales or loans considered viable for both.