When Real Madrid legend rejected €100million world-record transfer offer from Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich
Former Real Madrid player Raul rejected a €100 million bid from Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich in 2003, as per the player's agent Gines Carvajal. Raul reportedly "did not even consider the move."
Speaking to The Sun in 2010, Carvajal said despite multiple English clubs showing interest in the Spanish forward, only Chelsea made a "formal proposal." However, Raul did not consider it as he did not want to leave Real Madrid.
“Many English clubs asked in the past for Raul, but the only formal proposal was the one of Chelsea," Carvajal said. Ranieri (Then Chelsea manager Claudio) wanted Makelele and Raul. So the same people of Chelsea who negotiated for Makelele made contact with me and Madrid. They offered €100million (then a world record £70m), but Raul didn't consider the offer because he just didn't think of leaving Madrid.”
Raul scored 323 goals and provided 133 assists in 741 appearances for Real Madrid between 1994 and 2010. He won six La Liga titles and three Champions League titles for the club and is the sixth-highest goal scorer in La Liga with 228 goals to his name.
The former Los Blancos star is currently the coach of Real Madrid Castilla, the reserve team of the club. He retired from professional football in 2015.
Chelsea legend Joe Cole advised the club to sign Real Madrid star Luka Modric in March 2024
The Blues could reportedly try to sign another Real Madrid legend this summer if they follow the advice of Joe Cole. In March 2024, Cole advised the club to sign current Los Blancos midfielder Luka Modric.
While speaking to talkSPORT at the Soccer Aid 2024 launch, Cole said Chelsea should be trying to bring in "some experienced players" to "set the tone."
“I’d be looking to bring in some experienced players who set the tone. I’m thinking is Luka Modric out of [contract]? Does he want to come and play in the Premier League for one more year?" Cole suggested.
Speaking of Modric's influence on the younger players of the team, the former English player said he's "doing his bits" in the Spanish club.
Cole suggested that the English club's current squad is inexperienced and young, so an experienced figure like Modric could help them improve.
"He’s still doing bits at Real Madrid. And how much has he helped [Eduardo] Camavinga, [Aurelien] Tchouameni, [Federico] Valverde? He would’ve had such an influence on them as players," Cole added.
Further, Cole also hinted at Modric's teammate Toni Kroos and if he would want to "test himself" at this age. However, as per Fabrizio Romano, Kroos is set to sign a new deal with Los Blancos until 2025.
It remains to be seen whether the Blues will make a concrete offer for Luka Modric this summer, with the midfielder's future reportedly undecided for now.