Ayoze claims Real Madrid and Barcelona interest

Newcastle United striker Ayoze Perez claims Real Madrid and Barcelona were interested in him before he swapped Tenerife for Tyneside.

The 21-year-old arrived at St James’ Park from the Spanish second-tier outfit during the close-season and scored the winner in his side’s 2-1 Premier League victory at Tottenham on Sunday.

And Ayoze says he attracted the attentions of some of the biggest clubs in his homeland before opting to make the move to England.

“Yes, there was interest from those clubs [Barcelona and Real Madrid],” he said. “The truth is that the Newcastle bid was quite surprising because firstly there were other teams interested.

“But they pushed very hard to get me. I feel they really valued me.

“We had to consider the different options and I finally decided to come to Newcastle.

“I have always loved the Premier League but the main reason to come here was how Newcastle valued myself.

“I felt very appreciated by the club and that was the reason which made me opt to come here.”

The victory at White Hart Lane lifted Alan Pardew’s side up to 14th.