Barcelona Star Pedro Almost Joined Arsenal Before Alexis Sanchez Made £32m Move

Barcelona forward Pedro was on the verge of completing his move to Arsenal during the summer, even before Alexis Sanchez, claim reports in Spain.

With Lionel Messi, Neymar, Sanchez, and Cesc Fabregas ahead of him in former manager Gerardo Martino's pecking order, the Spanish international struggled to secure a regular place in the Catalans line-up during last season.

Having been a key player for the La Liga giants under both managers Pep Guardiola and Tito Vilanova during the Barcelona golden era, the 27-year-old wanted regular time, and according to Mundo Deportivo, he had decided to leave the team earlier in the summer.

The player himself confirmed thoughts about leaving the Camp Nou during an interview earlier in the summer, saying: "I'm not sure what's going to happen. I'm relaxed and concentrating on the team and the World Cup. When I need to decide something, I'll talk to the club and we'll see what happens."

Manchester United and Liverpool were reportedly monitoring the situation but Mundo Deportivo assure Arsenal were eventually the leading candidates to secure his services.

Arsene Wenger was looking for a versatile forward to back-up Olivier Giroud and Mundo Deportivo claim Pedro was eventually his first choice – even ahead of Sanchez.

However, even though everything looked ready to see Pedro swapping the Camp Nou for the Emirates Stadium, the Spaniard changed his mind at the very last minute after former boss Martino left the team and new Barcelona manager Luis Enrique convinced him to stay by assuring him an important role – despite the arrival of Luis Suarez.

This way, Pedro finally opted to snub the Arsenal offer while Wenger turned his attention to his former teammate Sanchez, eventually securing his services for £32m.