Barcelona youngster Sergi Samper admits he ‘did not want to listen’ to Arsene Wenger after claiming the Frenchman made an approach for him last summer.
The Spain Under-21 international is currently half-way through a season-long loan at Granada after Luis Enrique decided to let the young midfielder leave to play regular first-team football elsewhere as the likes of Sergio Busquets, Andres Iniesta and Ivan Rakitic all ahead of him in the pecking order at the Camp Nou.
There were reports last year suggesting Arsenal were keeping tabs on the 21-year-old and now the player has confirmed those claims, but he insists he did not see his future at the Emirates.
Quoted on Sky Sports, Samper said:
‘I did not want to listen to [Arsene] Wenger. I told him clearly that I wanted to stay, I wanted to succeed at Barcelona, and what would make me happy was succeeding at Barcelona in the future.’
Samper has made just one La Liga appearance for Barcelona before joining Granada on loan. The Spaniard has played 13 games for the La Liga club who currently sit 19th in the table. Despite the club’s poor positioning, Samper is adamant he made the right choice rejecting Arsenal.
