After a few days of delay, Joao Cancelo has finally arrived in Barcelona today to complete his loan move to Barça from Al Hilal.
The 31-year-old right-back will be signing on a loan deal until the end of the season, with his desire to return to the club playing a key role in the move.
After all, Cancelo also had a more lucrative offer from Inter Milan, who had already reached a verbal agreement with Al Hilal.
🚨🔴🔵 João Cancelo, just landed to join Barcelona on loan from Al Hilal. ✈️
Here we go, confirmed. ✅@BlazquezFont 🎥 pic.twitter.com/CIV7m23WQR
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) January 12, 2026
But the Portuguese international held firm on his desire to return to Barça, where he had spent the 2023/24 season on loan from Manchester City.
Cancelo’s arrival and medical were initially planned to be held last Friday, but had to be postponed due to some minor logistical issues.
While there was a possibility that the formalities could be completed on Saturday, the Catalans ultimately decided to go through with the final touches this week once the team was back from Saudi Arabia after the Spanish Super Cup final.
Now, Cancelo has finally landed in Catalonia and will undergo his medicals at the club facilities today. The idea is for his signing to be formalised tomorrow before he is presented to the fans and media.