João Cancelo is set to return to Barcelona for a third spell after reaching an agreement to terminate his contract with Al Hilal, clearing the way for the Portugal international to rejoin the Spanish champions as a free agent. The 32-year-old had one year remaining on his contract in Saudi Arabia, but his desire to return to Barcelona has now been matched by an agreement that allows him to leave without a transfer fee. He is expected in Barcelona on Tuesday to complete the move and sign his contract.
Cancelo had already agreed personal terms with Barcelona in June, with the remaining obstacle being his situation at Al Hilal. That has now been resolved after the player and Saudi club reached an agreement on an early termination. According to sources cited by ESPN, Cancelo will join Barcelona as a free agent after previously spending two loan spells at the club. He first arrived from Manchester City for the 2023-24 season before returning to Al Hilal, then came back to Barcelona on loan during the second half of last season. That second spell proved important. Cancelo helped Barcelona win LaLiga and made it clear that he wanted to remain at the club permanently. The situation had appeared difficult because Al Hilal had initially valued him at around €10 million, before reportedly raising their asking price to €15 million. Barcelona's preference was to avoid a significant transfer fee, and the eventual termination of Cancelo's Saudi contract has removed that obstacle. He is now set to make the move without Barcelona having to negotiate a transfer fee with Al Hilal.
This will technically be Cancelo's third time signing for Barcelona, although it will be the first occasion on which he joins on a permanent contract. His first spell began in August 2023, when Barcelona signed him on loan from Manchester City for the 2023-24 campaign. Financial limitations meant they could not turn that arrangement into a permanent transfer, and Cancelo subsequently moved from City to Al Hilal. He returned to Barcelona in January 2026 on another six-month loan from the Saudi club and helped the team secure the LaLiga title. The Portugal international has now secured the permanent return he had been seeking. Before reaching the top level with Manchester City and Barcelona, Cancelo came through at Benfica and also played for Valencia, Inter Milan and Juventus. He spent part of 2023 on loan at Bayern Munich before joining Al Hilal in 2024. His honours include league titles in Portugal, England, Italy, Germany and Spain, making him the first player this century to win the top-flight title in four of Europe's five major leagues.
Cancelo becomes Barcelona's fourth signing of the summer, following Anthony Gordon, Karim Adeyemi and Jesse Bisiwu. The club's recruitment has continued to develop rapidly, with Rodri also reportedly agreeing a €76.5 million ($88.4 million) move from Manchester City on the same day. That would reunite Cancelo with his former City team-mate in a Barcelona squad that has already retained the Spanish league title and is looking to strengthen further.
Barcelona are also pursuing a striker, with Atlético Madrid's Julián Álvarez reported to be their preferred target, while another No. 9 and potentially a centre-back remain under consideration. After Sunday's 5-2 friendly victory over Basel, manager Hansi Flick acknowledged that more business could still take place. “We will see what happens, but it could be that we are still lacking something,” Flick said. For Cancelo, however, the uncertainty is largely over. After two temporary stays in Catalonia and an increasingly complicated spell in Saudi Arabia, he is now expected to return to Barcelona on Tuesday with the opportunity to finally make the Camp Nou his permanent home.
