Spanish sports daily Mundo Deportivo reports that the full-back has agreed to terminate his contract with Al-Hilal, apparently after clear statements and heavy pressure from the Portuguese. Barca had previously been expected to pay a fee of eight to ten million euros for Cancelo.
Arriving in Barcelona on Monday afternoon, Cancelo confirmed to journalists that he had laid down the law to Al-Hilal. "Either I come here or I don't play for a year and collect my salary," he told reporters. "In the end it worked out. I am where I want to be," he added happily.
According to the report, Joao Cancelo will sign a contract at Barca until 2029. He was already on loan with the Catalans in the 2023/24 season and in the second half of last season. Now he is back in Barcelona again, a happy ending after protracted negotiations, as he confirmed once more: "I am very happy, had already been waiting for it and thought it would be easier to get over the line," he said. For Barca, still in financial trouble, the free transfer is good news in difficult times.
Back in 2024, Al-Hilal paid 25 million euros to sign the Portuguese from Manchester City, where he did not have a particularly good relationship with coach Pep Guardiola. In the 2022/23 season, Cancelo also spent half a year at Bayern Munich, who did not take up their purchase option given his market value at the time of 50 million euros.