18-year-old sensation rejects Barcelona and dreams of playing for Real Madrid - Reports

La Liga giants Barcelona were very interested in signing Oscar Gloukh, but the 18-year-old rejected the Catalan giants, revealing that his dream was to play for Real Madrid. The young sensation from Israel is already being touted as one of Europe's most promising players.

Trained in the lower ranks of Maccabi Tel-Aviv, Gloukh recently moved to Red Bull Salzburg for €7 million euros - a fee that's expected to skyrocket once he hits his prime. Salzburg have a knack for nabbing young talents and selling them to bigger clubs for profit, and their latest acquisition is no exception.

According to El Nacional, Barcelona were also keen on signing Oscar Gloukh and made a counteroffer once they found out that Salzburg had swooped in. However, Gloukh had his heart set on Spanish giants Real Madrid.

He revealed to Forbes Israel (via El Nacional):

"Since I was able to reason, since I started playing football, I have been a Real Madrid fan. The crucial moment will be arriving at Real. My biggest dream is to play at the Bernabeu and wear the Real Madrid uniform. I was very excited because Barca wanted me, but they came too late in my career and in the end it couldn't happen."

"Barca remembered us when we already had everything closed with Salzburg," he added. "It was the best option for me and we did it... In the end, I am clear that we made the right decision to go with them and not with Barcelona. It makes more sense as a player."

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Who is Oscar Gloukh, the football prodigy who prefers Real Madrid over Barcelona

Oscar Gloukh's meteoric rise to fame has been nothing short of impressive. Born in Rehovot, a small town near Tel Aviv, he initially pursued martial arts before discovering his natural talent for football. Maccabi Tel-Aviv quickly recognized his potential and signed him up, fending off interest from rival club Maccabi Haifa.

By the age of 17, Gloukh had already made his debut for the first team, and within a season, he had become a regular starter - not to mention an international player for Israel.

Red Bull Salzburg clearly saw something special in Gloukh and wasted no time in offering him a tailor-made project to help him develop his skills in Austria before eventually making the leap to a top-tier league.

Barcelona may have been a tempting option, but Salzburg had the advantage of being an early bird. The Catalans wouldn't have had much of a chance, with Gloukh's open love for Real Madrid likely to have annoyed supporters.