Cesc Fabregas reveals he held talks over Real Madrid move
Monday 16 November 2015 09:55, UK
Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas has revealed he held talks over a Real Madrid move on several occasions in the past.
Fabregas was frequently linked with the Bernabeu giants during the course of his eight-year spell at former club Arsenal before he re-joined Barcelona in the summer of 2011.
The Spain international has now revealed that talk of a move to Real Madrid went beyond mere speculation.
When asked if he was ever close to becoming a Real Madrid player, he told Marca: "Well, there were contacts over several years and with different presidents.
"An agreement was never concluded. There were things, but there was no final agreement. It lacked the step forward."
Having spent three years at Barcelona after he left the Emirates, Fabregas often went up against Real when they were managed by his current Stamford Bridge manager Jose Mourinho.
He added: "Mourinho was our rival, the same as Real Madrid, the same as Sergio Ramos, as Pepe, as Cristiano.
"We wanted to win against Real Madrid, but not for personal reasons. You wanted Barcelona to win, not to defeat Mourinho.
"[The move to Chelsea was] Football, nothing else. Football moves very quickly, much quicker than people think.
"It goes from day to day. You talk to a manager or a player and the next day there's something different. You turn the page and you forget everything."
