‘I imagined a future there’ - Real Madrid star reveals Arsenal turned him down despite wanting to sign

Valverde joined Real Madrid in 2016 after leaving Uruguayan side Penarol after seven years with the club.

Since his move to the Spanish giants, he has been an important member of Carlo Ancelotti's team.

The midfielder could have been playing for Arsenal in the Premier League but was rejected by the Gunners.

Valverde has opened up about almost joining Arsenal after training with the Gunners ten years ago at London Colney.

The Real Madrid star told Marca, "I was 16. That's it. This is my club. I'm going to grow here. In Uruguay, the Premier League was watched a lot. I imagined a future there. I enjoyed it and I trained with spectacular players.

"I don't know if he'll remember me, but Dibu [Emi Martinez] was one of the ones who helped me the most in everything, along with [Hector] Bellerín, Alexis [Sanchez] and [Santi] Cazorla. I didn't know English and they had to explain all the work to me."

Valverde claimed he envisioned a future at the club but was rejected by the Gunners, despite being welcomed by players like Emi Martinez and Alexis Sanchez.

Since joining the Spanish powerhouses, the Uruguayan has made 275 appearances, scoring 24 goals and winning numerous trophies.

Meanwhile, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta is preparing to make a big splash in the January transfer window as he looks to push for the Premier League title.