Barcelona’s handling of Joao Cancelo’s return took an unexpected turn after the club briefly announced the signing on its official platforms, only to remove all related content shortly afterwards.
The sudden deletion sparked confusion among supporters, especially after the move had seemingly been confirmed through formal club channels.
The Catalan giants had initially revealed Cancelo’s arrival via their website and social media, presenting the deal as complete.
The Portuguese full-back was announced as joining on loan until the end of the season, and the communication suggested everything had been finalised.
It was even speculated that Cancelo could make his debut as early as Thursday in the Copa del Rey clash against Racing.
However, the situation changed rapidly. Within a short space of time, Barcelona removed every mention of Cancelo from their platforms, including the official statement and all social media posts.
No immediate explanation was provided by the club, leaving fans puzzled as to how an “official” announcement could suddenly disappear.
What happened?
Joao Cancelo, Al Hilal player
Barcelona deleted all the posts related to Joao Cancelo. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)
Journalist Guillem Borras Perez later provided clarity on what had unfolded.
According to his information, the issue was administrative rather than sporting.
Barcelona and the player are still finalising the documentation required to formally complete the deal, and the club has acknowledged internally that it acted too quickly in making the announcement public.
It is understood that the deletion of the statements was a direct response to that haste.
The process, they admit, was not supposed to move that fast and required additional time to be properly concluded.
According to those same club sources, the holdup is related to documents that still need to be signed and exchanged between all parties involved in the transfer.
With the press conference delayed well beyond its planned start time, it is said that an official announcement “is going to take a while.”