Former Premier League stars reveals he was close to joining Barcelona in 2014 – “Tempting” | OneFootball

Currently plying his trade for Villarreal, Ayoze Perez used to be a distinguished name in the Premier League.

The Spaniard, after all, had made as many as 223 Premier League appearances for his former clubs, Leicester City and Newcastle United, even scoring 45 goals and mustering 17 assists in the process.

However, Ayoze’s career trajectory could have turned out very differently, as he was close to joining the Barcelona academy at a young age.

Ayoze reveals he was close to joining Barcelona

In a recent interview with La otra grada, Ayoze admitted he was approached by both Barcelona and Real Madrid academies when he was still at Tenerife.

“I had offers from Real Madrid Castilla and Barça B, but I also had other offers, despite being tempting,” he said (h/t Mundo Deportivo).

Ayoze is talking about 2014, when he was about to leave Tenerife CF after having made a solid impression at the Spanish club.

Ayoze Perez has over 200 appearances in the Premier League. (Photo by Mateo Villalba Sanchez/Getty Images)

But after being courted by several clubs across Europe, Ayoze revealed that it was Newcastle United’s promise of first-team action that convinced him to move to Tyneside.

“I negotiated with Borussia Mönchengladbach, with Porto, which was almost a done deal—I don’t understand how it fell through—and in the end, Newcastle called, who were the last to call.

“They told me I would be in the first team, that I would be important, and I had a dream of playing in the Premier League, and in the end, that’s how it happened,” he revealed.

Ayoze joined Newcastle United for just €2 million in 2014, ending up making almost 200 competitive appearances for the club before leaving in 2019, in favour of a €30 million move to Leicester City.

Ayoze returned to Spain in 2023, as part of a loan deal to Real Betis, with the player eventually joining Los Beticos for free in the summer of 2023.

Ayoze’s move to Villarreal, his current club, came in 2024, with the Yellow Submarines paying just €4 million for his services.