Villarreal forward Samu Chukwueze has revealed he was once close to joining Arsenal, before the transfer collapsed.
The Nigerian has been speaking to El Periodico Mediterraneo about his career to date, including how he nearly ended up in the Premier League as a youngster.
He’s been one of the key players at the Spanish club since establishing himself in the first team, making 196 appearances in all competitions to date, scoring 35 goals and adding 31 assists, including 11 goals this season.
That’s not gone unnoticed around Europe, particularly in England, where has been linked with several Premier League sides over the last 18 months.
He started his career with Diamond Academy in his homeland before joining Villarreal’s U19s in August 2017, working his way up the youth ranks from there to be a current first-team star.
They were not the first club to show an interest in him, though, with the 23-year-old revealing he initially travelled to Arsenal to sign a contract with them.
“From the [2015 U17] World Cup I went to Arsenal to sign a contract, but it got complicated because they didn’t reach an agreement with my academy,” he told the newspaper.
“I went through Salzburg and Porto before being lucky enough to come to Villarreal. And I signed a pre-contract at the age of 17.
“They told me that I had to return at the age of 18 before signing the final contract as a professional. I said: ‘Okay, no problem’. I returned to Nigeria and started training with my academy again.”
