João Cancelo completed his move to Barcelona on Tuesday, joining on a six-month loan from Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal.
Cancelo had fallen out of favor with coach Simone Inzaghi and was excluded from the domestic squad, prompting him to search for a new club for the remainder of the season.
Inter Milan had attempted to sign Cancelo and had even reached an agreement with Al-Hilal on all the details, but the Portuguese player ultimately decided to return to Barcelona.
The 31-year-old passed his medical on Tuesday at Barcelona’s facilities and signed the loan agreement with Barça.
The loan will be free of charge, with Barcelona covering a small portion of Cancelo’s substantial salary, reportedly just €2.5 million.
Cancelo will wear the number 2 shirt during his second stint with Barcelona.
It’s worth noting that Cancelo previously played for Barcelona on loan for a year during the 2023-24 season, but the Catalan club declined to exercise their option to buy him, leading to his return to Manchester City before his move to Al-Hilal.
