Serge Aurier Claims Barcelona Move Fell Through Over Fear of His Reputation
Tottenham Hotspur defender Serge Aurier has claimed that a proposed summer move to Barcelona fell through because the Catalans were one of several top European clubs who were 'afraid' of his bad boy reputation.
Spurs were eventually willing to the €27m plunge, but only after concerns over securing a work permit for Aurier were ironed out following an assault charge in France.
The Ivorian international had previously been prevented from entering the United Kingdom for a Champions League game PSG were due to play against Arsenal, and it appears that he thinks he could have been turning out for Barcelona now instead had they not feared him.
Giving an interview to French media outlet Canal+, Aurier claims to have been at 'very advanced negotiations' over a move to Camp Nou.
"I think my reputation made four or five big European sides afraid," he said.
"I was negotiating with Barcelona, very advanced negotiations. And Barcelona's people were not sure if I came here things would be different."
Barça were definitely in the market for a new right-back in summer, settling on emerging Benfica and Portugal starlet Nelson Semedo in a €30.5m deal. The club, however, has stated that negotiations with Aurier, as the player has boastfully claimed, were non-existent.
"We never sat down with the player or his representative, they wanted to sit down with us but we never did anything," a Camp Nou spokesperson told Sport.
Aurier has started four of the eight Premier League games that Tottenham have played since he joined, often rotating with new England right-back Kieran Trippier. His versatility means he has even played one game - 4-1 win vs Liverpool - in an unnatural left-sided role.
