"I am proud to wear this jersey" - 29-year-old star on-loan at Barcelona expresses desire to stay with club beyond his loan spell

Joao Cancelo joined Barcelona on loan from Manchester City last summer and has enjoyed his stint with the Catalans.

The 29-year-old defender, who covers both the right and left back positions, recently shared his desire to stay with the Blaugrana past the summer of 2024, when his loan expires.

"I know nothing yet [about the future], but I’d like to stay here," Joao Cancelo told media (via Manchester Evening News).

"I grew up watching Ronaldinho’s Barcelona. He’s my idol. I am proud to wear this jersey, and there aren’t other clubs I can join, right?"

Cancelo moved to the reigning UEFA Champions League champions in 2019 and spent three and half years there before joining Bayern Munich on loan for the second part of the 2022-23 season.

Not being on the same page with manager Pep Guardiola could make his return to Manchester City an unlikely scenario, so staying with Barcelona could be a decent option for him.

Cancelo has appeared in 31 games for Barcelona across all competitions and has scored three goals in total. The Catalans are third in La Liga standings with 61 points, trailing Girona (62 points) and rivals Real Madrid (69 points).

Meanwhile, they will host Napoli on Tuesday, March 12, in the second leg of the Round of 16. The first leg ended in a draw (1-1).

Barcelona willing to engage in talks with Manchester City to keep Joao Cancelo

Barcelona management has reportedly already made some plans for the 2024/25 season and one of them is to keep Joao Cancelo on the roster. The Catalans are said to consider the Portuguese defender a key member of the team and will look to agree to a deal with Manchester City soon.

Cancelo has a deal in place with the British club through the summer of 2027, and according to Matteo Moretto of Relevo, the Blaugrana could offer between €25- 30 million to reach a deal with Manchester City.

Still, Moretto claims that the two sides have not engaged in talks, but this should happen soon. Manchester City are still undecided on whether they want to bring Joao Cancelo back or part ways with him.