Barcelona are closing in on their third major signing of the summer after already bringing in Karim Adeyemi and Anthony Gordon.

The next arrival set to be completed is Joao Cancelo, who comes after an impressive loan spell at the club in the second half of last season.

Cancelo now appears ready to return to Barcelona in what will be his third stint with the club.

After several weeks of talks, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has finally given his trademark ‘here we go’ on the Cancelo deal.

According to the Italian journalist, an agreement has been reached over Cancelo’s contract termination with Al Hilal, removing the final hurdle in the way of his return.

The full-back has been cleared to travel early next week and, having already agreed all terms with Barcelona back in June, he is now set to sign the contract.

The key breakthrough, as reported by Mundo Deportivo, is that Cancelo has succeeded in ending his contract with Al Hilal, where he still had one year left, and will now join Barcelona as a free agent.

The way Cancelo has left represents a significant boost for Barcelona, who had been preparing to pay a transfer fee.

Al Hilal had valued the Portuguese defender at €10 million, but his strong wish to leave, along with the Saudi club having too many foreign players and his poor relationship with coach Simone Inzaghi, eventually allowed him to terminate his deal and leave for free.

That comes as a major lift for Barcelona, who will avoid paying a transfer fee and could even offer Cancelo a slightly better salary because of it. The Catalan club plan to hand him a two-year contract, with the player expected to sign on Tuesday.

Cancelo is now set to become a Barcelona player.

For Cancelo, the transfer marks the fulfilment of a long-standing ambition to become a permanent Barcelona player.

The 32-year-old impressed under Hansi Flick during his loan spell, especially on the left side, and did enough to convince the German coach to push for him to stay.

A self-confessed huge Barcelona fan, Cancelo has never hidden his affection for the club, making it clear through numerous statements and social media posts.

His ability to play on both flanks makes him a valuable addition and, after two previous loan spells, Cancelo is finally set to call Barcelona his permanent home.