Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Marco Verratti really wanted to join FC Barcelona four years ago, according to the midfielder's former agent.
The Italy international has established himself as one of Europe's best midfielders over the past few years during his time with the French giants.
Donato Di Campli, the player's former agent, has now revealed that Verratti was keen to make the switch to the Camp Nou in 2017.
"He told me to talk with them, and that we would also talk with PSG since an extension was in the pipeline. PSG was not great at the time, so I said to Marco: 'Are we going or are we staying?'
"He said 'OK, let's try another experiment'. Marco really wanted to go to Barcelona. He texted Nasser (Al-Khelaifi, president of PSG) to tell him, I kept it.
"They were offering a lot of money, but it wasn't even that. Playing with Messi, becoming a champion, which is a different thing to being a great player. PSG are one of the biggest clubs in the world, but they play in a weak league.
"I told Marco that if he wanted to become a champion, he had to change tune."
