Prolific German international reveals offer from Spanish giants.
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Former Bayern Munich striker Mario Gomez has revealed that he turned down an offer from Real Madrid this summer before signing for Fiorentina, according to Goal.com.
The 28-year-old earned the reputation as one of European football’s deadliest finishers in his time at Bayern, though he was surprisingly dropped from the side for much of last season as Croatian striker Mario Mandzukic was preferred upfront in the Bavarian giants’ quest for treble success.
Gomez’s ability still attracted great interest throughout the summer though, with the likes of Chelsea, Tottenham and Napoli thought to be chasing him before he settled on a switch to Serie A with Fiorentina.
However, the German international also says that a serious offer came in for him from Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti, and while he admits it was flattering to be pursued by such a big club, he felt the move to La Viola was the right one for him.
“It’s true that Carlo Ancelotti wanted to sign me for Madrid,” he said.
“I was honoured by their interest, because my entire family consists of Real Madrid fans.
“However, after holding talks with Fiorentina about their plans for the future, I knew joining Fiorentina was the right choice for me.”
Gomez has got off to a good start in life in Italy, scoring two goals in his first four games for Fiorentina, and many will be surprised at the fact that he didn’t end up joining a bigger club.