Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Marco Verratti has cooled talk linking him with a move to Real Madrid on the eve of their encounter with the La Liga giants.
Verratti, 22, has been heavily linked with a move to Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus in the past and has been in sublime form of late.
However, despite admitting his pleasure at being touted with a move to some of the biggest clubs in Europe, the Italy international maintains he is happy at PSG.
“It’s nice when big teams are interested in you, but my priority was always to stay at PSG,” Verratti told French TV programme Canal Football Club.
“I have to thank the club – I’m happy here. I don’t see why I would leave.”
Of players to have started at least one match in the Champions League group stages this season, only Toni Kroos (96.5%) has a better pass success rate than Verratti (94.9%) and only teammate Thiago Motta (126.7) averages more passes per game than the pint-sized midfielder in Uefa's premier club competition (112).
For more stats on Marco Verratti, click here to visit his WhoScored player page
