Man City defender Couto: I was joining Barcelona before Pep called

Yan Couto admits Pep Guardiola convinced him to sign for Manchester City ahead of Barcelona.

The former Coritiba fullback is currently on-loan at Girona.

He told AS: When I was champion with the Brazilian National Team (U17) I visited Manchester City, Bayern Munich and Bara. I was sure I was going to Bara, but Pep Guardiola called me and things changed."

On Girona's LaLiga title chances, Couto said: It is complicated because there is still a lot of League left.

"We are at a very high level and we want to continue like this, with dreams to fulfill, like entering the Champions League, we have to go game by game."