BARCELONA RE-SIGN CANCELO ON FREE TRANSFER UNTIL 2029

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By; Aina Daniel

Barcelona have completed the signing of Portuguese defender Joao Cancelo on a free transfer, with the full-back returning to the Spanish champions on a contract running until June 30, 2029.

The Catalan club confirmed the deal on Thursday, announcing that Cancelo joined as a free agent after terminating his contract with Saudi Arabian side Al Hilal.

The 32-year-old returns to Barcelona after previously spending two loan spells at the club. His most recent stint came during the second half of last season, when he helped Hansi Flick’s side retain the La Liga title.

Cancelo began his professional career in Portugal before playing in Spain and Italy. He joined Manchester City in 2019 and later had loan spells at Bayern Munich and Barcelona during the 2023/24 season.

He moved permanently to Al Hilal in 2024 but has now opted to return to Camp Nou as Barcelona strengthen their squad ahead of the new campaign.

Cancelo becomes one of several high-profile additions to Barcelona’s squad this summer as the club continues to reinforce its ranks.

The Catalan side are also searching for a new striker following the departures of Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres, having reportedly ended their pursuit of Atletico Madrid forward Julian Alvarez.

Barcelona will begin their La Liga title defence on Sunday when they travel to face Elche.