In 2014, Arsenal were close to signing Real Madrid midfielder Federico Valverde for just £2.7m before he joined the Spanish club.
Valverde joined Real Madrid from Uruguayan side Penarol in 2016. The 24-year-old has become a regular for the club over the last few years, but it could have been a different story for Valverde.
According to AS (via the Daily Mail), Valverde had reached an agreement to join Arsenal back in 2014 for just £2.7m.
Valverde’s agents reportedly travelled to London to speak to Arsenal and they verbally agreed a deal to bring him to England.
However, after deciding against signing Valverde, he went on to have an impressive South American U17 Championships, leading to Real Madrid showing their interest.
Arsenal then offered £2.7m, but by then it was too late as he had decided to move to Spain.
I’m sure there will be no regrets from Valverde, winning multiple Champions League titles during his time there.
However, for Arsenal, it could be a different story. There’s no doubt they will be regretting not taking the chance on Valverde back in 2014, as he’s going to be worth significantly more than £2.7m these days.
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