Ander Herrera's father has revealed that Barcelona were close to signing his son after he left Manchester United for PSG in 2019.
The 32 year old made over 130 appearances in five years for The Red Devils and won the FA Cup, League Cup and Europa League whilst in England.
However, he turned down the chance to extend his stay at the club and left for the Parc de Princes, although this journey wasn't straight forward.
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"At one point Ander was in contact with Barca," the midfielder's father Pedro told French newspaper L'Équipe. "But he does not fail because he has never worn the colours of one of the three greats of Spain, because in his eyes, the biggest club in the country is Zaragoza, where he started."
This is not the first time Herrera has been involved in a transfer saga. Whilst playing for Athletic Bilbao in 2013, he was heavily linked with a move to David Moyes' Manchester United. But despite a series of bids, the transfer did not get over the line, delaying the Spaniard's arrival at Old Trafford for a year.
Since arriving in Paris, Herrera has enjoyed great success, lifting a league title, two Coupe de France crowns and a Coupe de la Ligue. The Spaniard, who has represented his country twice, also reached the Champions League Final in 2020, where PSG were beaten by Bayern Munich.
Ahead of Saturday's win against Montpellier, the Parisians' manager Mauricio Pochettino praised Herrera for his professionalism, even when he doesn't feature for the first team.
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"He's at the top and he's a top player," the Argentinian said, as quoted by Transfer Market Web. "When he plays or not, he is always 100%, always at the service of the team. All the technical staff love this kind of player who sacrifices himself for others and is always professional."
The player also has plenty of good words to say about his manager.
"Mauricio changed the history of Tottenham," Herrera told Mundo Deportivo earlier this year. "He is a coach who wants possession for 90 minutes. He reminds me of Marcelo Bielsa. He suffers when the opponent has the ball... he's a very passionate coach."
With the successful, working relationship the two have, it's unlikely that Herrera will be heading back to Spain to re-join his first club or Ronald Koeman's Barcelona any time soon.
Featured Image Credit:Topics: Manchester United, Barcelona, PSG, Mauricio Pochettino, Ander Herrera