“It’s a dream club” – Manchester City loanee makes bizarre Barcelona admission

Joao Cancelo has described a season-long loan switch to Barcelona as a ‘dream’ despite signing a fresh long-term Manchester City contract last year.

The Portugal international secured another loan move away from the Etihad Stadium last month, having left Manchester City following a rumoured training ground bust-up in January.

The 29-year-old spent the remainder of last season at Bayern Munich, where the full-back won the Bundesliga title, but was knocked-out of the UEFA Champions League by parent-club Manchester City at the quarter-final stages.

Cancelo had featured during Manchester City’s pre-season tour of Asia, but was absent from from Pep Guardiola’s squad for all competitive fixtures; across the Premier League, FA Community Shield and UEFA Super Cup during the opening weeks of the campaign.

The full-back featured in 26 matches for Manchester City prior to a dramatic exit last season, and is contracted at the Etihad Stadium until 2027, after signing a new long-term deal in January 2022.

Bayern Munich chose against triggering a clause to sign the 29-year-old permanently, providing Barcelona with the chance to sign Cancelo on a season-long loan.

Despite winning a series of trophies with Manchester City, the Portuguese defender has openly described a move to Catalonia as a “dream” transfer during a recent interview, and vowed to help Barcelona to be successful in the Champions League.

“I want to achieve great things with this club because it’s where I’ve always dreamed of playing. It’s a dream club, all my friends know that all my idols played for Barcelona,” the 29-year-old told journalist Toni Juanmarti.

“Whether it’s at Montjuic or wherever, I always want to play in the Barcelona shirt and show the fans and the people who believed in me how difficult it was to come to Barcelona.

“The coach gives me a bit of freedom and I like that. I feel comfortable playing on the inside but also on the outside. I’ll adapt to whatever he asks of me.

“I’m going to do everything I can to explode at Barca. I will try to show my football, my quality, but always with the help of the team, because I need it and I think we have a lot of quality in the squad.

“It’s true that in recent years Barça have not done well in Europe, but they are a very big club. We are going to try to get Barça back to the level they have always shown in the Champions League.”

Cancelo made his Barcelona debut prior to the international break during a 2-1 win against Osasuna in La Liga.