Gerard Pique reveals Premier League giants tried to sign him and Lionel Messi from Barcelona
Barcelona legend Gerard Pique recently revealed that Arsene Wenger tried to sign him and Lionel Messi for Arsenal in an interview with journalist Guillem Balague at BBC Five Live.
Pique revealed that Arsene Wenger approached the Catalan club to sign Pique first. However, they had taken Cesc Fabregas before and didn't want to get into a transfer fight again.
In that period of negotiations, Manchester United swooped in and hijacked the Gerard Pique deal. The former Spanish center-back revealed:
"So they [Arsenal] were trying to arrive to a deal with Barcelona and it took more time than we wanted to so Manchester United arrived and said, 'Listen, we want you, lets make a decision right now,' and I decided to go there."
Gerard Pique also confirmed that the ex-Arsenal manager tried to sign Lionel Messi. However, he accepted that Arsene Wenger didn't have a chance as Barcelona never considered parting with La Pulga then.
""And it's true that later on I think Arsene also tried to sign Messi - but he didn't have a chance," Pique added.
Messi and Pique met again at Barcelona in 2008 and became part of one of the greatest generations in the Catalan giants' history. Together, they spent 13 years, winning eight La Liga titles and three Champions Leagues. The two were also part of the team that won two trebles in 2009 and 2015.
In 778 appearances for the Catalan side, Lionel Messi scored a record 672 goals and had 279 assists.
Lionel Messi expressed desire to return to Barcelona after winning his 8th Ballon d'Or
After being proclaimed as the world's best footballer for the record eighth time, Lionel Messi opened up about his tumultuous transfer saga and his desire to return to the Catalan club. The Argentine talisman revealed that he wanted to return after leaving PSG, but it wasn't possible.
"I could have returned to Barcelona, but it didn't happen. My first thought was always to return home, to be able to play at Barcelona again and retire there as I had always dreamed. But it wasn't possible," Lionel Messi told France Football.
When asked whether he would return to the Catalan club after his MLS stint, Messi flatly denied the speculations and confirmed that his time in Europe was over.
"Now that I've taken a step forward by coming here to the United States, I don't think I'll ever play in Europe again. Of course I will miss playing Champions League or LaLiga for the rest of my life, games with a special flavor. But I enjoyed it as much as I could, so I have no frustration."
In his 24 games as an Inter Miami forward, Lionel Messi has scored 24 goals and assisted 11 times. This includes two direct free-kicks and only one penalty.