Barcelona look set to announce the signing of Portuguese full-back Joao Cancelo in the coming days, with his medical to be completed this weekend. The 31-year-old will return to the club he left 18 months ago on a loan deal until the end of the season from Al-Hilal.
Cancelo was keen to leave Saudi Arabia this winter, and had agreed a move to Inter. However he continued to hold out for a move to Barcelona while the possibility was still on the table. It looked as if it was off the cards this time last week though. Manager Hansi Flick had made it clear that he preferred to bring in a central defender, and the word from the sports department, headed by Director of Football Deco, was that the staff were divided over the signing of Cancelo, and as such, had decided not to sign for the sake of it.
Hence it was met with some surprise on Monday evening when Barcelona made a loan offer for Cancelo. Diario AS have recounted the sequence of events, claiming that a meeting between Barcelona President Joan Laporta and agent Jorge Mendes was decisive. The pair met in Dubai between Christmas and New Year ahead of the Globe Soccer Awards, run by Mendes.
Laporta was willing to hear out Mendes’ pitch to get Cancelo back to Barcelona, and it was in Dubai that Laporta made the call on the signing. A week or so later, the deal was done.
🚨 FC Barcelona will not make the signing of João Cancelo official until after the Spanish Super Cup final. The full focus is on beating Real Madrid to lift the trophy for the second consecutive season. [@MCTorresA]
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) January 9, 2026
It was reported that Flick had changed his mind on the deal, due to Cancelo’s versatility, adding depth at both right-back and left-back. Meanwhile the German manager said that he would be happy if Cancelo arrived earlier this week, providing him with an extra attacking option. It has been central defence that has caused Barcelona most issues over the last three months though, with Gerard Martin drafted in as the only left-footed option.
