Joao Cancelo Set To Return To Barcelona As A Free Agent

João Cancelo is set to return to Barcelona after reaching an agreement to terminate his contract with Saudi Pro League club Al Hilal.

Transfer journalist, Fabrizio Romano disclosed on X saying, “BREAKING: João Cancelo to Barcelona, here we go! Agreement done on contract termination with Al Hilal.

“Cancelo has authoritazion to travel early next week, as revealed overnight. 🔜🇵🇹

João agreed all terms with Barça since June and now ready to sign.”

Cancelo joined Barcelona from Manchester City on a season-long loan in September 2023, arriving after spending the second half of the previous campaign on loan at Bayern Munich.

The Portugal international quickly became a regular for Barcelona, featuring primarily at right-back but also operating on the left when required. His attacking qualities allowed him to play a more advanced role at times, fitting into Xavi’s system as a full-back capable of moving into midfield and contributing in the final third.

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Across all competitions, Cancelo made 42 appearances for Barcelona in 2023-24, starting 38 of those matches and playing 3,311 minutes. He scored four goals and provided five assists, according to Barcelona’s official statistics.

His four goals came in LaLiga and the Champions League. He scored twice in the league and twice in Europe, while registering four league assists and one Champions League assist. Transfermarkt also records the same 42 appearances, four goals and five assists.

One of Cancelo’s most memorable moments came against Real Betis in September 2023, when he scored his first Barcelona goal and also provided an assist in a 5-0 victory. He also scored against Celta Vigo in LaLiga and found the net against Porto in the Champions League.

His attacking contribution was particularly notable for a defender. In LaLiga alone, Cancelo played 32 matches, starting 29, and recorded two goals and four assists. He accumulated 2,503 minutes in the competition.

His Champions League campaign was similarly productive. Cancelo played all 10 of Barcelona’s matches in the competition, starting nine, scoring twice and providing one assist. He finished with 810 minutes in Europe.

Defensively, Cancelo was part of a Barcelona side that recorded a number of clean sheets during his appearances. StatMuse credits him with 10 LaLiga clean sheets from his 32 league appearances in 2023-24.

Barcelona’s official records show that Cancelo played 42 competitive matches during the season, with the club keeping clean sheets in a significant number of those appearances. However, clean-sheet totals can vary between statistical providers depending on whether they count only matches in which a player started, played a minimum number of minutes, or simply appeared.

Cancelo’s overall 2023-24 numbers underline how influential he was going forward: four goals, five assists and 42 appearances. His 3,311 minutes made him one of Barcelona’s most-used defenders, with only a handful of outfield players featuring more often.

The loan spell ended without Barcelona securing a permanent transfer, and Cancelo returned to Manchester City before joining Al Hilal in 2024.

His first Barcelona stint nevertheless left a strong impression. He offered the club versatility, attacking threat and experience, while his ability to operate on either flank made him particularly valuable.

Now, after agreeing terms with Barcelona and securing a contract termination with Al Hilal, Cancelo is poised to begin a second chapter at the club.

For Barcelona, his return represents the re-acquisition of a defender who already knows the club, its footballing culture and the demands of playing at Camp Nou. His previous spell produced 42 appearances, four goals and five assists, with 10 LaLiga clean sheets recorded during his league outings.

The challenge this time will be to reproduce the attacking output of his first spell while providing greater consistency defensively as Barcelona seek success across domestic and European competitions.