Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has revealed he tried to sign Steven Gerrard while he was in charge at AC Milan.
Ancelotti, who led Milan to two UEFA Champions League titles between 2001 and 2009, wanted to pair Gerrard with living Azzurri legend Andrea Pirlo.
However, the Italian boss could not convince the former England international to leave Anfield in favour of pastures new.
“Gerrard’s a leader. A great player, the most important figure that Liverpool have. He is the Paolo Maldini of Liverpool,” Ancelotti told The Sun.
“He’s one of the players I would have loved to have coached. And I thought about him so many times in the past when I was at Milan.
“But it was impossible because he was very much linked with Liverpool. We had sounded him out but Gerrard’s bond with Liverpool was unbreakable.
“I don’t remember exactly what year it was but we did try. Of course, I wanted to pair him up with Pirlo, it was a fantastic combination. Putting Gerrard in midfield with Pirlo, it would have been fantastic.”
Gerrard has tallied two goals and one assist in eight English Premier League appearances for the Reds this season.
Meanwhile, Ancelotti also noted he was keen to sign Mario Balotelli while in charge at Paris Saint-Germain. Of course, the three-time Champions League winner decided, instead, to bring in Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
“I never coached Balotelli. I never had the chance to sign him when I was at Milan,” added Ancelotti.
“The only time we thought of Balotelli was when I was at Paris Saint-Germain because he’d played a great Euro 2012. He scored twice against Germany.
“But then it came out we could get Ibrahimovic so we went for Ibrahimovic. But Balotelli is a player I like.
“It was only a question of preferring Ibrahimovic.”
Swansea want to keep Bony
Swansea City manager Garry Monk has hinted the club will ‘sort out’ a new deal for Côte d’Ivoire international striker Wilfried Bony.
Bony, who joined the Swans from Dutch Eredivisie side Vitesse for a club record £12 million in the summer of 2013, has not been at his best this season, despite the club’s impressive start to 2014/15.
The Ivorian went six games without a goal before scoring against Newcastle United just before the international break, and has added one today against Stoke at the Britannia Stadium.
“I don’t know the inner details. All I can say is that, in terms of selling a player, it will only happen if it was a good deal for Swansea City,” Monk said.
“But Wilf is a player we want to keep and I think [a new contract] is something we’d like to sort out as a club.
“We’ve not had any talks as yet and we’d want to sit down with Wilfried and speak to him and his representatives and see what the situation is.”
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