Official: João Cancelo returns, former Benfica man signs for... | OneFootball

João Cancelo, former star of Benfica, is the latest addition to Barcelona. This marks a return to Catalonia for the Portuguese international, who thus leaves Al Hilal, the Saudi club he joined after departing Manchester City just over a season ago.

The confirmation came on the morning of Tuesday, January 13, through an official announcement from Barcelona. The Blaugrana club revealed that the former Eagles player arrives on loan from Al Hilal until the end of the season and will wear the number 2 shirt.

It should be recalled that João Cancelo wanted to leave the Saudi club during this transfer window, as he was unhappy with the limited playing time he had been receiving. Furthermore, the fact that he was left out of the list of registered foreign players ended up accelerating his departure.

Looking to reach his best form with an eye on a possible call-up for this summer’s World Cup, the Portuguese international chose to return to Barcelona, a club he had previously represented, also on loan from Manchester City. João Cancelo had been in the Catalan city since Monday but had to wait a day to be officially announced.

João Cancelo — currently valued at 10 million euros — thus leaves Saudi Arabia. This season, wearing the Al Hilal shirt, the full-back played only six official matches. In the 469 minutes he was on the pitch, he scored one goal and provided two assists.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.