Sporting CP captain Bruno Fernandes believes he is ready to play for a club in La Liga having rejected advances a year ago.
Atletico Madrid have been strongly linked with a move for the 24-year-old Portugal international, who has netted a remarkable 27 goals from midfield this season.
Fernandes rescinded his contract at the Lisbon-based giants last over a training ground incident with ultras of the club, before renewing his stay.
“Last year after I rescinded my contract with Sporting, I had (interest from) clubs mainly from England and from Spain,” Fernandes told Portuguese channel Sport TV+, as cited by ESPN FC.
“I honestly didn't feel prepared to go to a tournament where the level of difficulty was perhaps higher, not because of the challenge but because of the number of continuous games played in England.
“It was my first season where I played many games and I took part in European competition. I needed that consistency of more than a year.
“Now I feel better prepared if one day I have to play in a competitive league like the English or in a team in Spain that is regularly playing in European competition, I'm ready for that level of demand.”
