Barcelona plan to announce first January signing on Friday - report | Barca Universal

"FC Barcelona are continuing to take concrete steps to finalise the signing of Joao Cancelo from Al Hilal. After reaching a verbal agreement on Monday, the Blaugrana have been working through all the necessary paperwork to close the deal contractually, with only the final formalities remaining before it becomes official. There is also complete agreement with the player, as Cancelo made Barcelona his absolute priority from the outset. His clear intention has helped accelerate the process."

"According to SPORT, the final signatures, both from the Barcepma president and board, and from Cancelo himself, could be completed in the coming hours. If that last step is confirmed, the right-back will officially become a Barcelona player. Even so, the club stress that while everything is very much on track and internally considered a done deal, the contract has not yet been signed."

"Barcelona's plan is to announce the signing this Friday, taking advantage of the current competitive break. However, Cancelo's official presentation will have to wait. The club do not intend to hold it while the team are in Jeddah, preferring to do so once the squad returns to Barcelona. With a total agreement already in place, there will be no need for directors or executives to travel or hold in-person meetings."

FC Barcelona have reached a verbal agreement to sign Joao Cancelo from Al Hilal and are finalising contractual paperwork. Cancelo prioritised Barcelona from the outset and has complete agreement with the move, which accelerated the process. Final formalities and signatures from the club board, president and Cancelo himself are expected in the coming hours and could be completed electronically. The club plans to announce the signing this Friday during the competitive break, but the official presentation will occur after the squad returns to Barcelona. No directors or executives need to travel for completion. Simone Inzaghi might prefer Cancelo to remain until 12 January for the Al Nassr game.

Read at Barca Universal