Carles Perez says Barcelona are now ‘in the past’ in his career after joining Roma on a loan deal until the end of the current season.
The 21-year-old joined the Italian club last month and if certain conditions are met, Roma will be obligated to purchase his rights permanently for a fee of €11m this summer.
Perez has featured in 12 games for Barcelona this season, of which he has started seven, with most of his minutes coming following injuries to fellow attacking players.
“I’ve joined Roma because I believe I can become an important player here. Barcelona is in the past,” Perez told his introductory press conference as a Roma player, as cited by club media.
“I’ll work hard to improve in Rome. I’ve always thought of Roma as a big club. The chat I had with the boss helped me make up my mind and I’m happy to be here.”
Perez had impressed at the Camp Nou when given his opportunities – scoring in wins over Real Betis and Inter – but there had been doubts that he will develop properly at the club given lack of minutes.
Barcelona may have come to regret hastily dispensing with the player this summer with Ousmane Dembele ruled out for the campaign and Luis Suarez unlikely to feature again this campaign.
