Real Madrid midfielder Federico Valverde allegedly regrets snubbing a potential move to the Premier League in order to stay at the Bernabeu this summer.
Having established a reputation as one of the world's leading lynchpins, a move to a top-flight English club was unsurprisingly mooted for Valverde over the summer.
Chelsea and Liverpool were believed to have shown a particular interest in signing the Uruguay international, while Manchester United were also said to be monitoring developments.
With Valverde under contract in the Spanish capital until 2027, though, all three clubs faced being priced out of a move for the 25-year-old, who subsequently stayed put at the Bernabeu.
Since the summer transfer window slammed shut, Valverde has started three of Real's four La Liga games in the 2023-24 season so far, but he was only a late substitute in their recent win over Getafe.
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The departure of Karim Benzema has seen Blancos boss Carlo Ancelotti shift to a 4-3-1-2 shape from his previous 4-3-3 setup, with Rodrygo and Vinicius Junior acting as a strike partnership.
Jude Bellingham - who has already netted five goals in four games during an excellent start to his Real Madrid career - sits just behind the Brazilian duo, while Luka Modric, Eduardo Camavinga and Aurelien Tchouameni started as the midfield three last time out.
Valverde would sometimes feature as a right-winger in Ancelotti's 4-3-3 system - an option which is no longer available to him - while Toni Kroos and Brahim Diaz are also battling for spots in the engine room.
As a result, a report from Nacional - via Football365 - alleges that Valverde believes he will not be a weekly starter in the 2023-24 season and is having second thoughts about his decision to remain in La Liga.
The report adds that the 25-year-old now feels like a "secondary" option and is questioning whether a transfer to England would have been the best move for him at this stage of his career.
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With Valverde electing to stay put and Bellingham joining him at Real, Liverpool brought in four cheaper midfield alternatives in Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister, Wataru Endo and Ryan Gravenberch.
The Reds also suffered setbacks with their failures to poach Romeo Lavia and Moises Caicedo ahead of Chelsea, who have also added Cole Palmer and Lesley Ugochukwu to their midfield ranks.
The Blues' summer overhaul opened the door for Man United to acquire the services of Mason Mount, before the Red Devils left it late to secure a loan deal for Fiorentina's Sofyan Amrabat on deadline day.
Real Madrid paid just £4.3m to sign Valverde from Penarol for their Castilla outfit in 2016, and the Uruguayan now boasts 18 goals and 15 assists from 208 matches for Los Blancos.
Valverde netted 12 times in 56 appearances for Ancelotti's side in the 2022-23 campaign, helping Los Blancos win the Copa del Rey, Club World Cup and UEFA Super Cup.
Ben Knapton
