Tottenham Hotspur defender Serge Aurier: 'Barcelona were scared to sign me'

Aurier: 'Barcelona were scared to sign me'
© Offside
Tottenham Hotspur defender Serge Aurier claims that Barcelona were "afraid" to sign him from Paris Saint-Germain because of his "reputation".

Tottenham Hotspur defender Serge Aurier has claimed that he was in "very advanced negotiations" with Barcelona before eventually leaving Paris Saint-Germain for North London.

At the end of August, Spurs paid PSG a fee of £23m for Aurier, who has since gone on to make eight appearances in all competitions, but the Ivorian has suggested that he came close to making a move to Camp Nou.

Aurier enjoyed a successful time at the Parc des Princes, but the full-back has said that his image prevented a switch to the Catalan giants.

The 24-year-old told Canal Plus: "I think my reputation made four or five big European sides afraid.

"I was negotiating with Barcelona, very advanced negotiations. And Barcelona's people were not sure if I came here things would be different."

Barcelona instead decided to sign Nelson Semedo from Benfica.

A general view of the stadium prior to the La Liga match between FC Barcelona and Celta de Vigo at Camp Nou on November 1, 2014
Read Next:
Nelson Semedo: 'Draw feels like a defeat'
>
You May Like
Recomended from Sports Mole



Tables
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Manchester CityMan City1110103873131
2Manchester UnitedMan Utd117222351823
3Tottenham HotspurSpurs117222071323
4Chelsea117131910922
5Liverpool115422117419
6Arsenal116142016419
7Burnley11542109119
8Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton114341111015
9Watford114341721-415
10Huddersfield TownHuddersfield11434813-515
11Newcastle UnitedNewcastle114251010014
12Leicester CityLeicester113441616013
13Southampton11344911-213
14Stoke CityStoke113351322-912
15Everton113261022-1211
16West Bromwich AlbionWest Brom11245914-510
17Bournemouth11317714-710
18West Ham UnitedWest Ham112361123-129
19Swansea CitySwansea11227713-68
20Crystal Palace11119422-184
LIVE SCORES VIDEPRINTER
expand