Barcelona bring Cancelo back until 2029
Barcelona have officially confirmed the return of João Cancelo to Camp Nou, with the Portuguese defender joining the Spanish champions as a free agent.
The Catalan club announced that Cancelo has signed a contract until June 30, 2029, after terminating his agreement with Saudi club Al Hilal to return to Barcelona, CE Report quotes Kosova Press.
The 32-year-old is a familiar name to the Catalan side. Cancelo has had two loan spells at Barcelona, including the second half of last season, when he helped the club defend their La Liga title.
The Portuguese has enjoyed a rich European career, playing in Portugal, Spain and Italy before joining Manchester City in 2019. He subsequently spent time on loan at Bayern Munich and Barcelona during the 2023/24 season before moving to Al Hilal in 2024.
Cancelo’s return is part of a very active summer for Barcelona. The Portuguese joins Rodri, Anthony Gordon and Karim Adeyemi as new additions to the Spanish champions.
However, Barcelona’s transfer business is not over. Following the departures of Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres, the club are still looking for a striker.
Their main target was Atlético Madrid’s Julián Álvarez, but the Madrid club have rejected the possibility of allowing the Argentine forward to leave, forcing Barcelona to explore other alternatives.
With Cancelo now back in the squad, Barcelona aim to enter the new season with a stronger defense and a player who is already familiar with the club’s philosophy and Hansi Flick’s football.
