🚨🔵🔴 Formal steps also completed: João Cancelo will sign his three year deal at Barcelona today. pic.twitter.com/hc7KZuI1oP
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 20, 2026
NEWS
Reportedly sealed: Barca coach Hansi Flick lands his desired player
The defender is already in Barcelona and is expected to sign a contract with the Spanish champions as early as Thursday.
After much back and forth, the deal is reportedly sealed: João Cancelo returns to FC Barcelona.
Transfer insider Fabrizio Romano reports this. This means head coach Hansi Flick gets his desired player, whose return he had strongly pushed for in recent weeks.
The 73-cap Portuguese international had already played for Barça on loan in the 2023/24 season and in the second half of last season, and is now expected to sign a three-year contract with the Catalans.
Deal stalled recently
The deal had been in limbo for a long time because Cancelo first had to terminate his contract with his previous club Al-Hilal. Most recently, bureaucratic issues prevented the official announcement of the transfer.
That's why the Portuguese did not appear at the team presentation, even though the transfer was largely confirmed and Cancelo was already in Barcelona.
As Romano now reports, all outstanding issues have been resolved. Cancelo is thus set for his third spell at FC Barcelona.
