Cedric Soares, 24, admits he is flattered by Barcelona’s reported interest in his signature after news surfaced on Mundo Deportivo claiming the Portuguese player could replace Dani Alves who’s leaving for Juventus.
The newspaper reported on Friday that Barca had scouted Cedric, along with his colleagues Raphael Guerreiro and Andre Gomes, in Portugal’s 7-0 friendly win against Estonia, and the Southampton right-back could not hide his joy at the links.
“It’s always interesting for a player when such an important club and a big name show you their attention,” he told the Portuguese media, MD reports.
“I can’t be thinking about it because I must be focused on the national team.”
Asked about the competition he’s facing in Portugal’s squad at the Euro 2016 with Vieirinha who plays for Wolfburg, Cedric says: “Competition is always a positive thing.”
The Southampton player started his career with Sporting, going on to appear in 94 competitive games over the course of four Primeira Liga seasons and scoring two goals.
He signed for Southampton in 2015.
Having earned 72 caps across all youth levels, Cédric made his senior debut for Portugal in 2014. He appeared for the country at Euro 2016.