'Barcelona loved me' - Wonderkid drops Real Madrid bombshell on Barca

Stuart Telford

• 1 Mar 2023 18:30 GMT
• 3 min read

Barcelona tried to sign Israeli wonderkid Oscar Gloukh before he joined Red Bull Salzburg in January, and now the midfielder has revealed the odds were always stacked against them.

Gloukh swapped Maccabi Tel Aviv for Salzburg in a €7m transfer at the end of January, a fee that Barca might have struggled to match given their current financial predicament, but the player was never close to arriving at Camp Nou.

"I was very excited that they wanted me," he told Mundo Deportivo. "But they were late for the bid and came back after we'd already closed the Salzburg thing. We knew this was the best option for me.

READ: Oscar Gloukh's FootballTransfers profile

"In the end, I think we made the right decision to go with them and not to Barcelona. It makes more sense for my development as a player."

Gloukh had caught the attention of wider European football after plundering six goals and eight assists in the first half of the season despite his tender 18 years, and had a choice of clubs queueing up for his services.

Hie preference would have been Real Madrid, though.

READ: Real Madrid's Dream Team for 2024 including Endrick and Bellingham

'Real Madrid the pinnacle'

"Ever since I can remember, since I started playing football, I've been a Real Madrid fan," he said. "Reaching Real would be the pinnacle. My biggest dream is to play at the Bernabeu and wear the Real Madrid kit."

Gloukh is already a full international with Israel with one goal from his two senior caps, although he is yet to get off the mark for Salzburg after five appearances across Austrian Bundesliga and Europa League.

His natural next step might be RB Leipzig if he can prove himself in Austria, the Red Bull's sister clubs having done many deals between them, like ones for Naby Keita, Dayot Upamecano and Marcel Sabitzer.

If he were to end up in Spain, Barca might struggle to beat their Clasico rivals to his signature even if they do sort their finances out.