Joao Cancelo Returns to Barcelona on Loan from Al-Hilal

Full-back Joao Cancelo has returned to Barcelona on a loan deal from the Saudi club Al-Hilal, set to last until the seasons end.

There are places that you never forget, welcome back to Barca, Joao, posted the Catalan team on their social channels.

Barcelona and Al-Hilal have agreed terms for the temporary transfer of the Portuguese defender until the campaign concludes, Barca added in an official announcement.

The 31 year old defender was on loan at Barcelona from Manchester City during the 2023-24 term, where he featured in 42 matches.

A key member of Roberto Martinezs Portugal team, Cancelo struggled for regular minutes at Al-Hilal after his £21 million, $28 million, move from Man City in 2024.

Barca, who top La Liga, first shared the news of Cancelos signing on Tuesday but later removed it and postponed his unveiling due to administrative complications.

Following a knee ligament problem for defender Andreas Christensen in December, rules in La Liga permitted Barca to allocate some of his wages towards registering a replacement, enabling the club in financial difficulty to secure Cancelo and strengthen Hansi Flicks backline.

Barcelona face Copa del Rey last 16 opponents, second tier frontrunners Racing Santander, on Thursday.