Sneijder: Inter Blocked Man United Move

Wesley Sneijder

GOAL.COM

Wesley Sneijder has revealed that Inter blocked his move to Manchester United in 2010.

The Dutchman, who moved from San Siro to Galatasaray in January, has claimed that he had held talks with the Red Devils boss three seasons ago following the Italian side's Champions League success.

However, Sneijder believes that the Nerazzurri demanded too high a figure for the Premier League club to swallow, and hence the transfer never went through, reports Goal.com.

"We had some talks with Alex Ferguson back in 2010," he told Galatasaray Dergisi. "They [United] contacted the club after our treble season but too much money was asked for. And I was also happy at Inter so I decided to stay.

"Manchester United are a fantastic club and they kept showing interest after that year but not as determined as before. I don't give much thought about proposed transfers, if I’m happy somewhere, I’m happy there."

Sneijder also said that he could have chosen Barcelona over Real Madrid years ago, but ultimately opted for the Blancos even though the move did not work out as he would have liked.

"Real Madrid were very persuasive about signing me," he continued. "There were two possibilities in Spain for me: either Real Madrid or Barcelona.

"Barca are really a great club and they have won everything for the past six years but I always liked Real Madrid's white shirt. I was very excited when they offered me a deal and took it immediately. And for me, they have a greater history than Barcelona."

Sneijder believes that he was sold from the Santiago Bernabeu to help fund the move for Cristiano Ronaldo, but he insists that he is not bitter to have left.

"The second season at Real Madrid was really hard for me," he said. "The club were having some troubles financially and they wanted to cash in by selling some valuable players.

"They were looking to sign Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United and Arjen Robben and I had to leave. It was not a big deal for me. Inter then showed an interest for me and, with Jose Mourinho, it wasn't really hard to decide."

This winter transfer window saw Sneijder receive a lot of attention due to Inter's desire to offload the Netherlands international, though he claims that he only had his heart set on Galatasaray.

"Galatasaray were my best option," he said. "They are one of the biggest clubs in Europe. We're playing for the title in Turkey, we're still in the Champions League.

"Yes, I had several offers from other teams, but I called my agent and told him that I wanted to sign for Galatasaray. Who knows, maybe I’ll stay here until I’m 40 years old."