How Arsenal missed out on a bargain €3m deal for Fede Valverde
Karan Tejwani
- Updated: 26 Sep 2022 05:07 CDT
- 3 min read
Arsenal could’ve signed Federico Valverde when he was an emerging youngster at Penarol, before seeing him move and become an undisputed starter at Real Madrid.
Valverde has had a great few months at Real Madrid under Carlo Ancelotti, playing an important role in their league and Champions League wins last season.
He has also been in his best form in recent weeks, becoming one of the team’s most important players at Los Blancos continue to push on all fronts.
However, things could’ve been different for him in 2014 had he made the move to Arsenal when Arsene Wenger was still manager at the club, according to Spanish outlet AS.
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Arsenal were close to signing Valverde
The report suggests that Arsenal were close to signing the player having scouted him through Francis Cagigao, who had recommended the Uruguayan star to Wenger.
Valverde and his agent even travelled to London in December 2014 so he could spend some time at the club and get a gist of their London Colney training centre.
However, Arsenal didn’t make a firm offer to sign the player as he went on to the U-17 South American Championship in Paraguay and had a starring role to play.
The post denies Vini Jr. but there was no stopping Fede Valverde's rebound! 💥
Real Madrid are in control in El Derbi and looking absolutely lethal whenever they get a sight of goal ⚪ pic.twitter.com/WUdCw8izDw— Premier Sports (@PremierSportsTV) September 18, 2022
The Gunners then made a £2.7 million offer after the tournament in which Valverde scored seven goals, but that was too late as he had already agreed a transfer to Real Madrid by then.
Valverde’s growth has been steady since then, but he has made great strides over the last two years and has plenty of hopes pinned on him with the Uruguayan national team ahead of the World Cup.
The 24-year-old has scored 10 goals in 157 matches for Real Madrid, and can play in a variety of positions including in midfield and on the wing.
He’s also expected to be a part of Real Madrid’s long-term plans with players such as Eduardo Camavinga, Vinicius Jr., Rodrygo and Aurelien Tchouameni all having key roles to play.
