Barcelona have announced that defender Joao Cancelo has completed a transfer to the club from Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal.
It’s the third time that Cancelo has joined the Catalan giants, after two successful loan spells, but this time he’s on a permanent contract until 2029.
Cancelo has already spoken about the move, revealing he sacrificed part of his salary in order to terminate his contract with Al-Hilal to join Barcelona.
“I’m very happy, I’m very pleased
to be here, I’m where I want to be. I trained separately for a week. I told Deco that either I came here or I’d spend a year there without playing, still getting paid,” he said.
“I gave up part of my salary, but it was either sign for Barça or nothing. It’s a very special club, I’m here to help and I hope to win many titles. We’re building a great team.”
The Portugal star is expected to start the season as Hansi Flick’s first choice at left-back, with Alejandro Balde set to provide competition to the 32-year-old.
Welcome back to Barcelona, Joao Cancelo!
