Cruyff: Barca almost signed Zidane

In an interview on Spanish radio, Dutch legend Cruyff claimed he verbally agreed a deal with Zidane in 1996, but pulled the plug on the move when the Catalans sacked him.

"I used to verbally agree the contract with players in January or February," said Cruyff. "I conducted the negotiations myself for if the board found out about the deal, it would appear in all the papers.

"I reached an agreement with players, however I cautioned them that in case the media got wind of the deal we won't sign a contract.

"I signed a deal with Romario and I hoped to sign Zidane and Blanc (Laurent) during my last season with Barca.

"When they sacked me, I called Zidane and explained to him that our agreement was annulled. He thanked me and that was the end of the matter."

At the time, Zidane was playing for Bordeaux but with the move to Barca falling through, he went on to attain superstar status during five seasons with Juventus.

What will wrankle the Camp Nou faithful more is that the player who slipped through their fingers is now starring for bitter rivals Real Madrid.