Al-Hilal and Portugal full-back Joao Cancelo is set for a loan return to Barcelona after 18 months in Saudi Arabia.
The 31-year-old previously played for the Cules during the 2023/2024 season on loan from Manchester City. He had a decent spell with Barcelona, scoring four goals and providing five assists in 42 games across all competitions under Xavi Hernandez.
Cancelo comes in as a part of Barcelona’s plan to have a more robust squad, which will aid in reducing the workload on some of the team’s certified starters, without a drop-off in quality.
In a statement published by Barca’s official website, it was confirmed that the former Valencia defender arrived in Spain yesterday afternoon and passed the relevant medical and physical tests. An official announcement is set to be made later today.
Barcelona president Joan Laporta will appear with the player before the press in the Sala Comercial this afternoon to herald the Portuguese’s return.
As per Transfermarkt, Cancelo already had an agreement with Inter Milan for a return before Barcelona swooped in to turn the player’s interest in their favour, causing the ex-Benfica man to turn Christian Chivu’s men down.
Al-Hilal are expected to pocket €4m from Cancelo’s loan deal to Barcelona. The experienced right-back is only a temporary fix, as the five-time UEFA Champions League winners are expected to go for a younger right-back in the summer.
According to Barca Universal, Barcelona sporting director Deco is open to keeping Cancelo permanently at the end of the season, but that is solely based on how he performs in his first six months. If it doesn’t go well, the Portugal legend has eyes on Hector Fort, who’s currently on loan at Elche.
The Catalans believe that if the development of the 19-year-old is prioritised, he could be the club’s first choice right back in the coming years.
