New Barcelona defender Lucas Digne has described his switch to the Spanish champions as a “dream move”.
The France international joined the Catalan giants on a five-year deal last week for an initial fee of €16.5m, which could rise to €20.5m based on performance-related targets.
And Digne has revealed that he is fulfilling a lifelong goal by moving to Camp Nou.
"Going to Barcelona is truly a dream move for me. Actually, quite literally it is a dream," he told Goal.
"When I was a boy, I told my father: “One day I will play in Camp Nou for Barcelona” - and he said, “oh yes, take it easy now, Lucas”. So when the deal was done with Barcelona, I immediately called my father and told him: “My dream has come true. Now I will play at Camp Nou."
"Of course it is a dream to go to the greatest club in the world. And at only 22 years old, I now see myself as a part of not only the present but also the future of this fantastic team. That is an amazing thought."
Digne had struggled to impress during his limited first-team opportunities for Paris Saint-Germain, but rose to prominence last year during a loan spell with Roma.
While the French giants would have been happy to retain his services, the young defender affirmed it was the right time to move to a club of Barca's stature.
"After a great season at Roma, it is the perfect time for me to take the next step in my career. In my two seasons with PSG, I never felt right there," he confessed.
"One year ago, I decided to tell PSG that I wanted to leave the club. They told me that they would have to go out and get another left-back then, and they did. I had the chance to go to Roma for a year and I enjoyed that year, developing a lot - especially in the defensive and tactical part of the game - in a top club in the Italian league.
"To me, Barcelona are the greatest club in the world. Their style of play, and winning the Spanish championship six times in the last eight seasons - that proves a lot, doesn’t it? And I see the Spanish league as the best in the world right now, which all the good Spanish results in Europe have shown now for years."
He denied, however, that a fear of competing for a first-team place at Parc des Princes led him to look for the exit.
"That is simply not true. If I was afraid of competition, I would not go to the best team in the world, would I? I did not feel right in PSG - and that happens," he said.
"Sometimes you just don’t feel good with a club, and I chose to go. PSG contacted me during the season and wanted me to come back to Paris this summer. I told them that I did not want to come back from Roma and play for PSG again, because it is just not the right club for me.
"At first they said to me that they did not want to sell me, but in the end they had to accept, that I only wanted to leave. It was a good thing, that PSG and Maxwell signed for one more year, so I could go. And now I am in Barcelona, so I am extremely happy with my choices."
And looking to the future, Digne insisted that his goal was to continue improving as a footballer as he prepares to compete with Jordi Alba for the left-back spot.
"I am looking for stability to be able to develop and to perform my best. The project of Barcelona is an enormous one - and totally perfect for me, and how I want to play football," he explained.
"I work hard every day at training to improve myself, and I can’t wait to get started with Barcelona."
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