Arsenal looked set to seal move for a star before get snubbed & Real hijacking

Real Madrid star Federico Valverde was close to clinching a move to Arsenal as a teenager but admitted he declined the transfer before the Spanish giants secured his signature

Federico Valverde previously revealed he came close to signing for Arsenal, but backed out due to feeling uncomfortable during a short stint in England. The Real Madrid talisman had gone on trial with the Premier League side in 2016 while he was in the youth academy of his boyhood club Penarol in his home country of Uruguay.

Despite the interest shown in him by the north London side, Valverde opted to turn down a move to England and instead chose the Spanish giants, where he's been ever since.

Valverde's decision was certainly a fruitful one considering he's been a major part in the 14 trophies he's won at the club since 2017, including two Champions League titles and three La Liga trophies.

It was in 2023 when the 26-year-old opened up about rejecting Arsenal and explained the various reasons behind his decision. "If you Google me, you will see stories about how I almost went to Arsenal when I was 16. That’s maybe half-true," he wrote in his column for The Players’ Tribune.

"It’s nothing against Arsenal, but I never wanted to go to England. At that time, the business side of football took over. Certain people were telling me, 'Who wouldn’t want to go play for Arsenal? You want to stay here in Uruguay? That’s crazy!' What they were really saying under their breath was, 'We can all make a lot of money if you go.'

"You realise that your life is not your own in football. Especially at a young age, you feel more like a hostage. Even your family becomes a hostage. Football is an escape to a better life, especially for us in South America, and the vultures know that."

Valverde cited the impossibility of his family coming to live with him and having to navigate a foreign country without knowing the language as reasons behind turning down the move. "They put the pressure on you in a 'nice' way," he added.

"'Damn, Fede, if you go to Arsenal, you’ll have a nice bed and a shower that stays warm for 30, 40 minutes! Who wouldn’t want that life?' They sent me on trial to London for a week, and I just wasn’t comfortable.

"If you only think of material things, it sounds great. But we are not robots. The reality was that my family couldn’t come to London with me. I’d have to live alone, not speaking the language, at 16-years-old. For every one kid who succeeds in moving overseas, you don’t see the 100 who fail."

Valverde will find himself playing alongside new team-mates in Trent Alexander-Arnold and Dean Huijsen this season while reports suggest his club were intent on hijacking Arsenal's deal to sign Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad.

Mikel Arteta's side have long been regarded as favourites to sign the Spain international who rejected a move to Liverpool last summer. According to Spanish outlet AS, Madrid had planned a "final attack" to convince the midfielder to remain in Spain.

Despite the reports, The Athletic have insisted Arsenal expect Zubimendi to be present for pre-season training, with the club regarding the deal for the 26-year-old as complete.