Arsenal nearly signed Real Madrid’s Valverde ‘for £2.7m’ before gaffe

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Arsenal reportedly blew their chances of securing the signature of Federico Valverde back in 2014, prior to his move to Real Madrid which has propelled his career. The Uruguay international is seen as one of the most exciting young midfielders in world football and is now deemed unsellable by Los Blancos.

Liverpool were heavily linked with a move for Valverde over the summer as it soon became clear that they lacked depth in midfield, with reports in Spain claiming that Jurgen Klopp’s side saw an £85million bid for the playmaker rejected. And Arsenal will regret missing the opportunity to sign the rising star seven years ago.

According to AS, the Gunners reached a verbal agreement with the representatives of Valverde to secure his signature, with all parties keen on the move. The 24-year-old is thought to have even travelled to north London and trained with the first team after Arsene Wenger was recommended the midfielder by scout Francis Cagigao.

However, despite ‘shaking hands’ on a move, Arsenal decided to put the transfer from Club Atletico Penarol on pause – the biggest mistake that the club could have made. Shortly after that, Valverde shone at the South American under-17 Championship, capturing the attention of Madrid with seven goals over the course of the tournament.

Madrid quickly pounced and convinced the midfielder to make the move to the Bernabeu, and Arsenal’s offer of £2.7m arrived too late as Valverde had his heart set on the La Liga outfit. He has since made 157 appearances for the Spanish outfit and proved to be a valuable asset in recent times, with his ability to play on the wing providing manager Carlo Ancelotti with another option in the final third.

Alongside recent summer signings Eduardo Camavinga and Aurelien Tchouameni, Madrid feel they have a midfield trio that will be one of the best in the business for many years to come. Though that hasn’t stopped them from being interested in Borussia Dortmund star Jude Bellingham, which could see Valverde used on the wing more regularly.

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Speaking after Valverde scored in the Champions League against RB Leipzig recently, Ancelotti said: “What was strange last year was that he only scored one goal, in the Super Cup, I think. If you can’t get a player like that to score at least 10 goals in a season then you should rip up your coaching badge and retire.

“Because he has a rock of a foot. Tonight, he took the shot with his left foot. I’ve never seen him shoot like that with his left, so it shows he’s confident in his abilities, and he has a lot of abilities. He’s more than just energy. But, to say he’s best in the world in his position, we might have to wait a little longer.”

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