Barcelona midfielder Aleñá won't rule out Real Madrid move
Carles Aleñá said you can "never say never" when it was suggested he could join Real Madrid in future.
Barcelona midfielder Carles Aleñá has suggested he would be open to joining Real Madrid.
The 22-year-old agreed a deal last month to move to Real Betis for the rest of the season, having struggled for regular football under Ernesto Valverde at Camp Nou.
Aleñá will return to Barça at the end of 2019-20 but his long-term future remains in doubt.
"They've always taught me 'never say never'", says Aleñá
And, while he accepts it would be a difficult decision to make, the player has refused to discount the idea of moving to arch-rivals Madrid.
"Football has many turns," he told Cadena SER when asked if he would ever play for Los Blancos. "I've been a Barça fan all my life. It would be tough, but they've always taught me 'never say never'. But, for me, they are a rival team."
Aleñá started the LaLiga defeat to Athletic Bilbao on the opening day of the LaLiga season and played just four more times for Barça before joining Betis.
No problems with Valverde relationship, insists Aleñá
However, despite being frustrated with his lack of game time, he insists there is no bad blood with Barça boss Valverde.
"He never told me why he didn't call me up," Aleñá said. "But I had a very good relationship because of everything he has done for me. I hope that we meet in the future.
"I called him to say goodbye. He knew that I wanted to go. At the start of December, I was pretty sure. He knew that my decision was almost taken.
"They were complicated months, but in no moment was there a bad relationship with the coach. He decided that and he rules. I tried to get back as soon as possible, and it took a few months. It surprises you, annoys you and p***** you off a bit."