Tottenham Hotspur playmaker Christian Eriksen has told FourFourTwo that a move to Barcelona would be tough to turn down if the Catalan giants ever came calling.
The Dane scored eight Premier League goals and set up 15 more last season as Spurs finished second – their highest top-flight placing since 1962/63.
Such form sparked rumours that Barça were keen for the 25-year-old to join their midfield ranks and supply the bullets for Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar.
And Eriksen has admitted that, having already trialled with the Camp Nou giants earlier in his career, it would be difficult to say no if they ever registered an interest.
Barcelona is a fantastic football club and I don’t think there are many players who would be able to say no to them. However, until there is actually some concrete interest, I don’t have an opinion
Speaking exclusively in the September 2017 issue of FourFourTwo, out Wednesday, he says: “I’ve already been there in the past [on trial as a teenager] but it didn’t work out too well.
“But, of course, Barcelona is a fantastic football club and I don’t think there are many players who would be able to say no to them. However, until there is actually some concrete interest, I don’t have an opinion about that.”
Until then, Eriksen's focus is on going one better than last season’s achievements and lifting the Premier League title for the first time in the Lilywhites’ history.
“When the new season starts and you look back, you have to be happy with the club’s best finish in Premier League history,” he says. “We can be a bit annoyed that Chelsea won 30 games, rather than the 26 we managed, but hats off to them.
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The plan is for next year to be our year. Fingers crossed. We have proved that we have got the quality to compete at the very highest level but, of course, we would like to show it by ending up with some trophies
“It was the second year in a row that we were fighting for the title. The plan is for next year to be our year. Fingers crossed. We all hope and dream of going one better than we did last season and making things even more exciting.
“We have proved that we have got the quality to compete at the very highest level but, of course, we would like to show it by ending up with some trophies in our hands.”
Accompanied by our 100-page Season Preview – rating 104 teams – the magazine features the 99 things we want from the new campaign, including interviews with Ilkay Gundogan, David Alaba and Yannick Bolasie. Plus, we go One-on-One with William Gallas, hit the Lake District to watch Football League players get put through a gruelling pre-season boot camp, reflect on Brighton’s 20-year rise from the brink of non-league to the top flight, remember the gaffes, garish kits and cheerleaders from the Premier League’s inaugural season and ask 'Where have all the goalmouth scrambles gone?' Order your copy today here and then become a subscriber here.
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Gregg Davies is the Chief Sub Editor of FourFourTwo magazine, joining the team in January 2008 and spending seven years working on the website. He supports non-league behemoths Hereford and commentates on Bulls matches for Radio Hereford FC. His passions include chocolate hobnobs and attempting to shoehorn Ronnie Radford into any office conversation.
