"From what I was told and heard" - Chelsea legend Ashley Cole claims European giants wanted to sign him before Blues switch

Chelsea legend Ashley Cole has revealed that he was close to joining Real Madrid, while Barcelona were also interested in signing him from Arsenal. The Englishman added that he held talks with both clubs, as he was free to sign a pre-contract, but ultimately stayed for personal reasons.

In quotes published by GOAL, Cole said his marriage to Cheryl Cole led him to decide to stay in England, which snowballed into a move to Stamford Bridge 18 months later. The Premier League hall of famer added that he was excited to join Chelsea from the first call and said:

"From what I was told and heard, I was going to Real Madrid. I was having conversations with agents because at that point I could pre-sign for a team abroad. So, it was Madrid and kind of Barcelona. I don't know how deep it was."

"Things changed, I got married, and didn't actually want to leave the country in the end. Then, around a year and a half later, I remember sitting in my box with my agent and him calling me outside and going, 'You're never going to believe who this is, it's Chelsea.' So I was like, okay!"

Ashley Cole's move was controversial, as Chelsea held talks with the legendary left-back without Arsenal's permission. The defender was fined £75,000, while the Blues were slapped with a £300,000 fine, and then-manager Jose Mourinho, who led the meeting, was fined £200,000.

Ashley Cole left for Chelsea because of Arsenal's disrespect

Ashley Sole spoke on That Peter Crouch Podcast after his move from Arsenal, saying he felt disrespected at the club, which led him to join Chelsea. He added that it was hard to leave the Gunners, but it was needed in his career and said:

"My situation was I knew what I was worth. If you don't want to pay it, no problem. But we did agree to pay it. Everything was agreed and then they pulled the rug [from] under me. They broke their promise - I couldn't tell you why."

"It was hard [to leave]. People [don't] understand the pressure that I was under to leave or to stay. Ultimately I felt disrespected, this is my point of view, I felt disrespected. It is what it is, but sometimes when I speak to fans [and they say], 'You left, you hurt me', I'm like, 'Hold up'. People don't realise that I was the one who got hurt the most. That was my boyhood club, I'd been living the dream. But I got shafted."

Ashley Cole went on to play 337 matches for the Blues, winning the Premier League and UEFA Champions League once, while adding four FA Cup medals.