Confirmed: Barcelona re-sign Joao Cancelo on a permanent transfer

Confirmed: Barcelona re-sign Joao Cancelo on a permanent transfer It is finally official. For the third time in his career, Joao Cancelo is now an FC Barcelona player, this time signing on a permanent deal. The veteran full-back has signed a three-year contract with the club until the summer of 2029. Cancelo returns home Cancelo had spent two spells on loan at the Catalan club, once when he was at Manchester City, and again in the second half of the previous campaign while he was at Al-Hilal. The Portuguese international impressed heavily under Hansi Flick, even displacing Alejandro Balde as the first-choice starter at left-back, which convinced Barcelona to sign him permanently. Negotiations with Al-Hilal, however, were far from straightforward as the Saudi Arabian club were unwilling to let the defender leave for a cut-price fee. Ultimately, however, Cancelo decided to forego his salary with Al-Hilal and terminate his contract , allowing him to secure the move he wanted and return to Barcelona, that too as a free agent. The Portuguese defender arrived in Barcelona on Monday and visited the club facilities Tuesday morning to complete his medical and contract signing. Unlike fellow new signing Rodri, Cancelo was not presented in front of the fans at the Spotify Camp Nou on Wednesday before the Joan Gamper Trophy match as the Catalans could not complete all the formalities related to his signing in time. However, the deal was officially closed today and the full-back returns to Barcelona, this time permanently after two successful loan stints.