Denis Suarez has claimed that he turned down a move to Real Madrid while he was still a youth player at Celta Vigo.
The Barcelona starlet eventually left the Galicians for Manchester City in 2011, but he rejected the opportunity to join Los Blancos in the process, as he believed he was too young at the time of their approach.
“Madrid came in for me, it's true, but at the time I was happy at Celta, fulfilling a dream,” he told Cadena SER.
“As I was so young, we thought it was best for me not to leave home.
“Barcelona and others also came forward but for myself and Celta, who were going through financial problems, Manchester City seemed like the best choice.
“I only played two games in the first team, but I have no regrets. I matured a lot there.”
Now on loan at Sevilla, the attacking midfielder refused to comment on the prospect of returning to Barca in the future but backed his parent club to rediscover their best form.
“The future doesn't distract me. I'm very focused on Sevilla, where things are going very well,” he added.
“[Barca]'ve had a couple of setbacks, but they still look good. They need some time because they have a Coach and many new players.
“Eventually, though, Barcelona will be fighting for everything because they have great players and Messi, who's the best in the world.”
