Newcastle United striker Ayoze Perez claims he turned down both Real Madrid and Barcelona this summer.
The 21-year-old was signed from Tenerife for a reported €2m in June, having scored 16 goals from 34 appearances in La Segunda last term, and bagged the winner against Tottenham Hotspur at the weekend on his full Magpies debut.
“Yes, there was interest from Barca and Real Madrid, “said Pérez in comments reported by The Guardian.
“It’s true that the Newcastle bid was quite surprising because firstly there were other teams interested, but they pushed very hard to get me.
“We had to consider the different options and I finally decided to come to Newcastle.
“I’ve always loved the Premier League but the main reason I came here was how the club valued me.
“I felt much appreciated and that was the reason I made my choice,” he revealed.
