Real Madrid midfielder Federico Valverde has revealed that he had his heart set on a transfer to Arsenal during his teenage years.
Valverde has established himself as one of the world's best in his position since making the switch to the Bernabeu in 2016.
A total of 24 goals have been scored during his 275 appearances for Los Blancos in all competitions, Valverde counting three La Liga titles and two Champions League trophies among his silverware.
With a contract in place until 2029, the Uruguay international is tied to Real for the next phase of his career, the player seemingly happy with life in Spain.
However, it could have been a different story back in 2016 when Valverde was bidding to earn a move to Europe at the age of 16.
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Valverde comments on failed Arsenal move
Valverde was invited to spend a trial period with Arsenal, then managed by Arsene Wenger, with the Gunners seemingly interested in adding the then-Penarol teenager to their ranks.
Instead, Wenger opted to reject the opportunity to sign Valverde, who has now admitted that he would have jumped at the chance of an extended stay in North London.
Speaking to Marca, Valverde said: "I was 16. I said: 'That's it. This is my club. I'm going to grow here.
"In Uruguay, the Premier League was watched a lot. I imagined a future there. I enjoyed it and I trained with spectacular players.
"I don't know if he'll remember me, but Dibu [Emiliano Martinez] was one of the ones who helped me the most in everything, along with [Hector] Bellerin, Alexis [Sanchez] and [Santi] Cazorla.
"I didn't know English and they had to explain all the work to me."
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Who did Arsenal sign instead?
That same year, Wenger added Granit Xhaka to his midfield ranks, while £3m was instead spent on Kelechi Nwakali, a central midfielder of the same age as Valverde.
The Nigerian now finds himself playing in the Portuguese top flight with Chaves, the most notable stint of his career coming with Huesca in La Liga in 2020-21.
Darren Plant
