Free-agent Spanish defender considers Barcelona links as a ‘source of pride’

Speaking to Gerard Romero on Jijantes FC, former Girona defender Sergi Cardona has claimed that being linked with a move to FC Barcelona is a ‘source of pride’ for him.

Cardona, 24, became a free agent after his contract with Girona expired on June 30. The Spanish left-back was a regular in the side for Michel as they secured a top-four finish in La Liga, impressing with his all-round displays.

As such, Barcelona were understood to have taken an interest in the 24-year-old left-back a few months ago, as a possible replacement for Marcos Alonso, who departed as a free agent this past weekend.

Links to Cardona, though, have gone quiet in recent times, with Barça seemingly deciding to count on La Masia product Alex Valle to provide cover for Alejandro Balde at left-back.

Despite the interest going cold, Cardona insisted that being linked with a club of Barcelona’s stature is a matter of pride for him and shows that he is on the right track.

“I always try to stay away from rumours during the season, but the fact that there have been rumours that Barça may have been interested in me is a tremendous source of pride and gives me tremendous strength,” he said.

With a decision on his next club yet to be made, the 24-year-old insisted that he is not in a hurry to choose his new destination.

“We are taking the decision about my future calmly, there has been interest from several teams. For me, this holiday break is very important and now we have to start working on evaluating these different options,” Cardona remarked.

As mentioned earlier, though, links to Barcelona have gone cold now and a move to Catalonia is unlikely to be an option for Cardona this summer.