The Barcelona defender says he thought about los Blancos’ offer “for two seconds” but says he could not imagine himself at Santiago Bernabeu
Barcelona defender Marc Bartra has revealed that Real Madrid were interested in signing him for a huge wage increase back in 2011.
The 23-year-old recently signalled his intention to remain at Camp Nou for the foreseeable future by signing a contract extention until the summer of 2017.
However, he has now claimed that he had a lucrative offer from his side’s arch rivals three years ago, but talks with Carles Puyol convinced him to remain in Catalunya.
“They offered the best pay at Castilla – triple what Barca were giving me,” he told El Pais.
“I thought about it for two seconds… Madrid? I don’t see myself there!
“With my first contract renewal in 2011, everyone told me to go and I was the only one who wanted to stay. I spoke with Carles Puyol and he told me that when he first signed new deals, he was being paid less.
“But he never said anything because he trusted himself.”