New Real Madrid signing James Rodriguez could have played in Barcelona in 2010 had Espanyol pushed with their interest.
The Colombian attacking midfielder burst on to the footballing scene with a superb World Cup display and has since made a lucrative move from French side Monaco to Spanish giants Real Madrid.
The former Porto man had been heavily linked with a move to Madrid since the turn of the summer and a deal was completed earlier this week with a presentation having taken place on Thursday.
But, it has now been revealed that the youngster could have played in Barcelona back in 2010 for Espanyol.
Espanyol sporting director, Ramon Planes, has revealed that the club were close to signing Rodriguez from Banfield but they missed out due to problems over the transfer fee.
“In the summer of 2010 we were very advanced and the priority for us was signing James Rodriguez,” Planes was quoted as saying by Spanish daily AS.
“He was very, very close to Espanyol. Talks were in the final part. There was an economic agreement between the clubs, we talked several times and he was eager to come.
“The problem was in guaranteeing the payment and a few days later, he signed for Porto.”