U-turn! Portuguese winger parts ways with Saudi giant, returns to Camp Nou on free transfer
According to reliable sources, João Cancelo has reached an agreement with Saudi club Al-Hilal to terminate his contract early by mutual consent. Barcelona will recruit the Portuguese full-back for the third time, and this time he will join the Blaugrana on a free transfer.
The 32-year-old Portugal international previously played for the La Liga giants on two separate loan spells, in the 2023-24 season and last season. This summer, he is expected to become the club's fourth new signing, following the arrivals of Anthony Gordon, Karim Adeyemi, and Jessy Bisseck.
However, Barcelona's recruitment drive may not be over yet. The team is still actively pursuing Manchester City midfielder Rodri, Atlético Madrid forward Julián Álvarez (or another No. 9), and even the possibility of adding another center-back has not been ruled out.
In a friendly match on Sunday local time, Barcelona defeated Basel 5-2. After the match, head coach Hansi Flick said: "We'll see, but there might still be some gaps in the squad."
Cancelo joined Barcelona on loan again for the second half of last season, and he had publicly expressed his desire to return to Camp Nou permanently. Now, that wish has come true over the weekend — he agreed to terminate his contract early with Al-Hilal, who had held his rights since 2024.
This will be Cancelo's third time signing with Barcelona, but the first time on a permanent transfer. He came through Benfica's youth system, then moved to Valencia, Inter Milan, Juventus, and joined Manchester City in 2019. After a brief loan spell at Bayern Munich in 2023, he joined Barcelona on loan for the 2023-24 season before moving to Al-Hilal.
He returned to Barcelona for a second time last January and helped the team win the La Liga title. He also became the first player this century to win league titles in four different top-five European leagues — in addition to La Liga, he has triumphed in England, Italy, and Germany, and his trophy cabinet also includes a Portuguese league title.