Barcelona briefly removed Joao Cancelo announcement while paperwork awaited

Goal reported that Barcelona announced the return of Portuguese full-back Joao Cancelo on Tuesday but immediately removed the posts from their website and social channels, leaving fans confused.

The club had published photos of Cancelo signing a loan from Al-Hilal until the end of the campaign and shared shirt-number details, but pulled the content because final paperwork — including the International Transfer Certificate and Al-Hilal's sign-off — had not been exchanged, Mundo Deportivo said. Club sources stressed the agreement is in place and the player is physically in Barcelona, and suggested the media team acted ahead of the legal department; until the Transfer Matching System handshake between the RFEF and the Saudi federation is complete the player is not formally a Barcelona employee, so the announcement was retracted to ensure compliance.

Despite the online blackout, Cancelo attended a signing ceremony at the club with his family and president Joan Laporta and his No. 2 shirt was confirmed. The move is described as a straight loan until the end of the season, contracts are reportedly on a desk in Barcelona and sources say it is 'only a matter of time' before the paperwork arrives; he previously played 42 matches for Barcelona, scoring four goals and providing five assists, and his adaptation is expected to be minimal.

Key Topics

Sports, Joao Cancelo, Barcelona, Al-hilal, Joan Laporta, International Transfer Certificate