Villarreal forward Samuel Chukwueze has revealed that he previously came close to signing for Premier League leaders Arsenal but the deal “got complicated”.
The 23-year-old made the move to Europe in 2017 as he joined La Liga side Villarreal and he initially linked up with their academy side.
Chukwueze has not looked back since making his senior debut for Villarreal during the 2018/19 campaign.
The winger has grabbed 35 goals and 31 goals in 196 outings for the Spanish outfit at senior level. He has been in stellar form this season as he has been involved in 22 goals in 39 appearances for Villarreal across all competitions.
Speaking earlier this season, Villarreal boss – Quique Setien – suggested Chukwueze is a player “with enormous potential”.
“Samu is a decisive player in many moments, with a lot of one-against-one that worries the opponent. We are going to try to take advantage of the fact that he attracts rivals,” Quique Setien said back in December.
“All the players have good things and others to improve. He is a player with enormous potential from whom we are going to try to get as much performance as possible.”
His form during the 2022/23 campaign has led to reports linking the Nigeria international with a move to the Premier League. It was recently claimed that he is being tracked by Liverpool.
But if his youth career played out differently, he could already be an Arsenal player. He has now revealed that he almost joined them as a teenager before he signed for Villarreal.
“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,” Chukwueze told El Periodico Mediterraneo.
“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.”
READ MORE: Transfer gossip… Man Utd battle Liverpool for £31m West Ham star; Arteta targets trio
Arsenal were interested in recruiting a winger in each of the past two transfer windows.
The Londoners targeted Wolves’ Pedro Neto and Villarreal’s Yeremi Pino but a deal could not be completed.
Then in January, they battled Chelsea for Mykhaylo Mudryk. The Blues got the deal of the line in the end, while Arsenal signed Leandro Trossard from Brighton and Hove Albion for around £27m.
Trossard has proven to be an astute signing for Arsenal. He has grabbed an impressive seven assists in just 13 appearances for the Premier League leaders.
READ MORE: Arsenal final pieces to the puzzle feature in 2022/23 sales Premier League clubs already regret
