Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney has confirmed the three clubs that made approaches for him when he infamously asked to leave Old Trafford at the peak of his powers in 2010.

Rooney had seen United lose Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez without properly investing in the team – Antonio Valencia from Wigan Athletic was the most expensive acquisition in either 2009 or 2010, leading him to question the club’s ambition.

He submitted a transfer request, which Sir Alex Ferguson surprisingly confirmed in a press conference in October 2010. Just days after that public statement, Rooney shocked the world again by signing a new five-year contract, but talks with three clubs had taken place.

Contrary to belief at the time, a newly wealthy Manchester City weren’t among them.

“When I told Manchester United in 2010 that I did not want to sign a new deal and put in a transfer request, three clubs came in for me,” Rooney revealed in a BBC Sport column.

“Manchester City are often talked about as being one of them, but I don’t think that was ever an option for me – the teams who made an approach were Chelsea, Real [Madrid] and Barcelona. In my head, I was ready to go and play in Spain and some talks did take place.

“A deal with Real looked more likely for a couple of days but it was Barcelona whom I thought about the most, and how I might fit into their side alongside Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta, Xavi and Sergio Busquets. In the end I decided to stay at United, but Barca had an incredible team then and any player would have loved to have played in it.”

United had lost the 2009 Champions League final to Barcelona and met them again in 2011, played off the Wembley pitch in a 3-1 defeat, although Rooney himself did score.

Rooney stayed with United for seven more years in total, also going on to become club captain in 2014. In early 2017, he broke Sir Bobby Charlton’s longstanding record as all-time leading goalscorer, while he also remains fifth on the all-time appearances list.