AC Milan winger reveals he approached Barcelona defender over a move last summer

Joao Cancelo was one of Barcelona’s two loan signings last summer, along with Joao Felix. The duo joined to reinforce the ranks at Barcelona, who were desperately looking for a new fullback and an attacker.

However, Cancelo could have been plying his trade for AC Milan this season had things panned out differently last summer.

Cancelo was approached by Leao

AC Milan forward Rafael Leao has confessed to attempting to recruit his Portuguese teammate Cancelo to the Rossoneri last summer.

The 24-year-old winger, speaking to journalist Fabrizio Romano, admitted to personally contacting Cancelo last summer. The defender, at the time, was seeking a move away from Manchester City.

Rafael Leao had approached Cancelo last summer (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

Leao even revealed that Cancelo was a big fan of AC Milan and wanted to play for Rossoneri earlier in his career.

“Last year I called Cancelo to sign for Milan. He told me that he liked Milan and that it was a great club, he liked the club when he was a child, but he also told me that it was difficult for him to join,” Leao revealed (h/t Mundo Deportivo).

Cancelo chose Barcelona

However, Cancelo ultimately prioritized his dream of playing for Barcelona. He remained patient until the transfer window’s closing moments before securing a loan move to the Catalan club.

Cancelo, though, faces an uncertain future at Barcelona. With the loan deal expiring on June 30th, Barcelona and Manchester City will need to negotiate further if they want Cancelo’s stay to be permanent.

But with Man City unlikely to entertain anything other than a permanent move, Barcelona’s operation could prove to be much trickier.