In a recent interview, Manchester City defender admits Barcelona is the club he has always dreamt of playing for

Outcast Manchester City defender Joao Cancelo, currently on loan at FC Barcelona, has revealed he “always wanted to be at” the La Liga giants during his career.

The Portugal international is fast approaching one of the most important summer transfer markets of his top-level professional playing career, with Manchester City seemingly insistent on the player leaving the Etihad Stadium on a permanent agreement.

That feeling from within the City Football Academy first sparked midway through the Treble-winning campaign when Manchester City sanctioned a temporary agreement involving Cancelo and a six-month move to Bayern Munich.

After spending the pre-season period ahead of the ongoing season with Manchester City, the Premier League champions renegotiated a fresh 12-month loan deal away from the club, with Cancelo joining Barcelona for the duration of the campaign.

Speaking during a recent interview relayed by Spanish newspaper Sport, Joao Cancelo has revealed his lifelong desire to play for FC Barcelona, despite attempts from a compatriot to force through a Real Madrid switch.

“I am delighted to be at Barcelona, ​​it is the club I always wanted to be at,” Cancelo explained. “After Benfica, it is the club I have always liked.”

Continuing regarding attempts to make Cancelo join Real Madrid at a previous stage in his top-level professional career, the on-loan City man explained, “Pepe said that I was a player for Madrid, but I told him that I am from Barça.”

Despite being contracted to Manchester City until 2027, the feeling within the Etihad Stadium circle is that the club would be willing to take a loss on the Portugal international in order to secure themselves a permanent deal.

However, it remains to be seen whether – even at Manchester City’s cut-price offer to clubs for Joao Cancelo – Barcelona could sanction a permanent deal for the player given their ongoing financial struggles.

It also remains to be seen whether City will look to recruit in the right-back position during the upcoming summer transfer window, with Kyle Walker’s performances being called into question at some stages of the season, and on-loan talent Yan Couto excelling at Girona.