Arsenal missed out to Real Madrid on the chance to sign Federico Valverde when the Uruguayan star was still an unknown teenager almost a decade ago.
Valverde has been an important first-team player for Madrid since 2019. Last season was his best individual campaign to date, making 56 appearances in all competitions, scoring 12 goals and increasingly playing in the centre of the pitch as opposed to on the right flank.
With Luka Modric, 38, and Toni Kroos, 33, each winding down their respective careers, Valderde has exclusively played in central midfield so far in 2022/23. He, Aurelien Tchouameni, Eduardo Camavinga and Jude Bellingham are the future of Madrid's midfield.
But things could easily have been so different had Arsenal been the club that managed to sign him all those years ago instead. Reports from Uruguay in 2015 suggested that a 16-year-old Valverde had been on trial with the Gunners in January that year and that a transfer worth €4m looked likely.
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Fellow South American Alexis Sanchez, who was at that time in his first season with Arsenal and rapidly establishing himself as one of the best players in the Premier League, had a particular impact on the young Valverde far from home in Montevideo.
"When I went to train at Arsenal, Alexis was there and he was one of the few who came up to help me," Valverde said, looking back on a sliding doors moment in his life. "I will always be grateful to him because, being a nobody, I was well-received by him. He was there to help me when I was a kid. As a footballer, he is an incredible player."
In addition to Arsenal, the likes of Barcelona, Manchester United and Chelsea had all also been linked with Valverde, but it was Madrid who won the race in the end. The young talent had to wait until he turned 18 in July 2016 to make the move to Europe, as per FIFA regulations, initially joining up with the Castilla squad led by Zinedine Zidane. A loan at Deportivo La Coruna also followed.
These days, Valverde has a long-term contract until 2027 and a €1bn release clause.
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This article was originally published on 90min as How Arsenal nearly signed Real Madrid star Federico Valverde.