Barcelona sporting director Deco has opened up on the club’s decision to bring back Joao Cancelo on loan for the rest of the 2025-26 season.
Cancelo is expected to be unveiled as a Barcelona player once again shortly, with Deco explaining why the Catalans have gone for the Portugal star rather than a center-back.
“Cancelo is being signed because he’s a player who improves the team’s quality. Ultimately, what matters in the winter transfer window is improvement: staying the same or declining makes no
sense. It’s not about center-backs; we’re getting Ronald back, and the manager has already said that with him, we have another center-back,”
“Cancelo also allows Eric to avoid playing at full-back, a position he’s often filled. Furthermore, it allows Koundé to play centrally in difficult situations, giving us more options than before.
“He’s a quality player, and it’s a move that would have been difficult to pull off, but things have worked out perfectly: he wasn’t registered, he had an agreement to leave, and he’s always been crazy about Barça.
“Whenever he comes, he takes a pay cut because of the allure of this club.”
Cancelo’s transfer is expected to be completed over the weekend, meaning he could make his second debut for the club next week either in the Copa del Rey or Barca’s La Liga clash with Real Sociedad.
