Wayne Rooney has revealed three teams ‘made approaches’ to sign from from Manchester United.
Rooney looked set to leave Old Trafford in 2010 after a public fall-out with Sir Alex Ferguson resulted in him handing in a transfer request.
The ex-England striker even released a statement in which he confirmed his desire to leave, insisting it was not down to money but ambition.
But Rooney then made a U-turn and signed a new five-year contract at Manchester United, ending up staying at the club for another seven years.
The footballer-turned-manager ended his United career with more than 550 club appearances and five Premier League titles to his name.
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Rooney remains the club’s all-time leading goalscorer but admits the second-half of his career could have turned out very differently.
‘When I told Manchester United in 2010 that I did not want to sign a new deal and put in a transfer request, three clubs came in for me,’ Rooney told BBC Sport.
‘Manchester City are often talked about as being one of them, but I don’t think that was ever an option for me – the teams who made an approach were Chelsea, Real and Barcelona.
‘In my head, I was ready to go and play in Spain and some talks did take place.
‘A deal with Real looked more likely for a couple of days but it was Barcelona whom I thought about the most, and how I might fit into their side alongside Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta, Xavi and Sergio Busquets.
‘In the end I decided to stay at United, but Barca had an incredible team then and any player would have loved to have played in it.’
Current England star Trent Alexander-Arnold faces a similar dilemma to Rooney but is expected to force through a move from Liverpool to join La Liga giants Real Madrid this summer.
That decision has sparked a backlash from some Liverpool fans who see no reason for Alexander-Arnold to leave, but Rooney sympathises with the 26-year-old.
‘Real are the same now with superstars like Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Jr, so of course it must be appealing to Alexander-Arnold to think about playing alongside them – anyone would feel the same,’ he added.
‘He has been at Liverpool for almost 20 years – since he was six – but the reality is that most players move at some point – that’s why there are so few one-club men like Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher.
‘I would not blame Alexander-Arnold for wanting to do something a little bit different – like a fresh challenge in a new country – Spain would be a really good move for him.’
Alexander-Arnold looks set to leave Anfield as a Premier League winner, with Liverpool 12 points clear of second-placed Arsenal ahead of Wednesday night’s Merseyside derby against Everton.
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