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What's the story?
Barcelona midfielder Andre Gomes regrets rejecting Real Madrid to join the club, according to a report in British news outlet, The Daily Star. The report claims that the Portuguese midfielder has confided in fellow countryman Cristiano Ronaldo that he regrets the move to Catalonia and would like to explore the possibility of a move to Madrid in the future. Gomes has found game time hard to come by under Ernesto Valverde, and with the fans not particularly impressed with his signing, the creative midfielder will be moved on in the January transfer window, with Tottenham Hotspur said to be interested.
Also Read: Valencia director Jesus Garcia Pitarch reveals Real Madrid almost signed Andre Gomes
In case you didn't know
Having spent his youth at FC Porto, Pastileira and Boavista, Andre Gomes joined Benfica's academy at the age of 18 and within a year had made his first appearance for the Portuguese giants in 2012. He made 40 appearances in 2 seasons before moving to Valencia on loan in 2014, with the deal being made permanent in 2015. The 2015/16 season was a breakout year, as his performances resulted in Barcelona parting with €35 million (with €20 million in add-ons) for his services after an impressive Euro 2016.
The heart of the matter
Gomes was one of the hottest prospects in La Liga in the summer of 2016, with Barcelona eventually signing the player. However, Valencia's sporting director admitted he nearly joined Real Madrid, saying "This summer we tried to sign him [Zaza] before the frustrating situation with Andre Gomes to Real Madrid. We wanted to do a deal with Juventus that included Zaza and Hernanes but Andre preferred to discard Juve and so it was ruled out."
The report claims that Gomes regrets the move to Barcelona as he's struggled to gel with Lionel Messi with Spanish radio reporting that he considers Cristiano Ronaldo to be the better player. Barcelona have played 11 competitive games this season, with Gomes appearing in 6 of them. However, all his appearances have only totalled 110 minutes on the pitch, with Gomes likely to be sold for a fee in the range of €25 million.
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Author's Take:
Gomes was meant to be the eventual successor to Andres Iniesta and it's fair to say that the Portuguese star has been nothing short of a disaster at the Camp Nou. Barcelona would do well to recoup even half their fee, but the Portuguese star could still revitalize his career with a move to another club.
