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Cancelo lands in Barcelona to sign his return to Barça on a free transfer
João Cancelo is one step away from beginning his third spell at FC Barcelona. The Portuguese full-back landed in the city this Monday after leaving Al-Hilal and is expected to complete the final formalities before signing a three-season contract with the club.
The operation has changed completely within a matter of days. Al-Hilal had come to demand between 10 and 15 million euros for the footballer, but Cancelo has finally reached an agreement to terminate the year remaining on his contract in Saudi Arabia. Barça will therefore be able to sign him without paying a transfer fee.
The player himself confirmed on his arrival that he has given up part of the salary still owed to him to facilitate the operation. Cancelo had made it clear to Deco that his priority was to return to Barcelona and that he was not considering another destination despite the financial terms he could retain in Saudi Arabia.
He is not, however, a new face for Hansi Flick. The Portuguese player had already played on loan for Barça during the 2023-2024 season and returned again in January 2026 to play the second half of the most recent campaign. In that second spell, he made 23 official appearances, with two goals and four assists, and was part of the team that won LaLiga.
His arrival gives the coach a player capable of playing at both full-back positions and joining the attack with ease. That versatility allows him to be used on either the right or the left and offers an experienced alternative for a defence facing a season with a particularly demanding schedule.
Cancelo, who turned 32 in May, also knows the dressing room, the playing model and the pressure surrounding the club. In his first spell in the blue-and-red shirt, he made 42 appearances, scored four goals and provided five assists; he then moved to Al-Hilal before returning on loan to Barcelona at the beginning of this year.
The Portuguese player’s arrival at El Prat Airport has been one of the images of Barça’s transfer market this Monday. The medical examination and contract formalisation still need to be completed before the club can definitively announce his signing, so technically the transfer has not yet been completed at this time.
The move allows Barça to bring back a footballer Flick already used last season without committing a transfer fee. After two loans, Cancelo now has the opportunity to stop being a temporary solution and become, for the first time, a Barcelona player on his own contract.