João Cancelo, will arrive in Barcelona this Monday. The Portugal international set off for the Catalan capital early in the morning, where he is expected to sign his new contract with Barça. As MD reported a few hours ago, Cancelo parted ways with Al Hilal to become a free agent and join the Blaugrana side.
Following the World Cup, Cancelo spent a few days in Portugal, where he worked on his fitness ahead of the new season. By then, he had already informed his club of his desire to sign for Barça. In a photo he posted on social media showing himself traveling by plane, he wrote, “On my way home,” referring to his flight to Barcelona.
The full-back, one of the standout performers during the second half of last season, was one of Deco’s transfer targets. Al Hilal valued the Portuguese defender at around €10 million. However, Cancelo’s desire to leave, combined with other factors such as the club’s surplus of foreign players and his lack of chemistry with manager Simone Inzaghi, led the Saudi side to allow him to leave for free.
Barça intend to sign Cancelo on a two-year deal. This season, Hansi Flick is therefore expected to once again have the same pairing on the left flank: Cancelo and Alejandro Balde.
This will be João Cancelo’s third spell at FC Barcelona, following his loan spell under Xavi Hernández during the 2023-24 season and the second half of the 2025-26 campaign.
Cancelo will be able to continue living his dream of wearing the Blaugrana shirt — this time as a full Barcelona player.