The agent of want-away Olympique de Marseille winger Hatem
Ben Arfa has revealed that his client rejected a move to Real
Madrid.
Ben Arfa appears bound for England, with the hottest link at
present being to Newcastle United once again, though the winger
could have chosen to move to the Santiago Bernabeu according to
representative Michel Ouazine, who was quoted by Le 10
Sport.
“Great teams have been interested,” he said. “But when Real Madrid
come to see you, you cannot accept. Today, Hatem is not ready. With
all the stars at that club, how would he find a starting place? He
must remain consistent.”
Ben Arfa has been frustrated by his lack of regular first team
football over the course of the last 18 months as first Erik Gerets
and then Didier Deschamps have chosen to bench him with great
regularity.
When he confronted OM about the club turning down offers for him
this summer, the attacker received a response he did not like and
elected to go on strike. The France international is fully expected
to move before the transfer deadline passes.