David Luiz claims Barcelona twice tried to sign him before he eventually opted to join Paris Saint-Germain.
The Brazilian central defender will come up against Barca when the French outfit entertain them in a Champions League match at the Parc des Princes on Tuesday, although the former Chelsea man has revealed he could have been lining up for the Catalans instead.
“It’s true they tried to tempt me a couple of times and everything looked good. But eventually I realised the team that really wanted to buy me was PSG,” Luiz told AS.
Luiz joined the Ligue 1 giants from Chelsea during the summer for a reported €50m and believes his new team has not yet realised its full potential.
“We’re progressing every week and need to find a better version for our style of play, something similar to Barca. We know there is much room for improvement and are aware that is how the big teams think.
“Over the years I’ve learned that if you think you’ve reached the top of the ladder then you are heading for a fall. That’s not a good mentality to have.
“You must be ambitious, with humility, because you can always improve. We are on the right road and PSG will get back to what they were last season,” asserted Luiz, who was questioned about facing Neymar and Lionel Messi.
“With Neymar nothing surprises me what he does. He has an unusual quality and is a real phenomenon, while Messi is another genius, a different player, although Barca have other great players besides those two.
“They have a very strong squad, which helps them play great football. Therefore, the first thing I do at all times is thank God for giving me the opportunity to play in these kind of games. I’m very happy because of that.”
The 27-year-old was asked if he thought Barcelona had changed since Luis Enrique took the reins at the Camp Nou before the start of this season.
“It’s a constant thing in football in that everything has to evolve, even week by week. I like the big teams and Barca have been at the top for a very long time, as they have shown by winning so many titles and playing football like nobody else.
“In all honesty it has been wonderful what they’ve done over the years,” he admitted.
