Valencia attacker once rejected Real Madrid after refusing to meet club legend over Salah incident

Real Madrid travel to Mestalla on Saturday, looking to extend their impressive winning streak under Jose Mourinho.

Los Blancos have won seven games on the bounce and are looking to make it eight before the November international break.

The encounter against Valencia also carries a storyline involving Harvey Elliott, who nearly joined Real Madrid a few years ago.

According to Diario AS, the Valencia attacker was once pursued by Real Madrid during his teenage years.

However, the incident involving Mohamed Salah and Sergio Ramos in the 2018 Champions League final made him decide against joining Madrid.

Back in 2019, Elliott had attracted interest from several European giants after becoming the youngest player to appear in the Premier League.

He was just 16 years and 30 days old when he made his debut for Fulham and was widely considered the next big prodigy.

Los Blancos invited the Englishman to Spain, giving him a tour of the Santiago Bernabeu and Valdebebas.

However, their attempt to impress the youngster with an opportunity to meet Ramos backfired. Elliott turned it down, unhappy with what Ramos had done to Salah in the Champions League final.

The youngster had attended the 2018 Champions League final in Kyiv with his father, witnessing Ramos’ controversial challenge that left Salah with a shoulder injury.

This, coupled with his affection for Liverpool and desire to join the club, saw him turn down a potential transfer to Los Blancos.

For a few years at Anfield, it looked like Elliott was well on course to realise his sky-high potential under Jurgen Klopp.

He had many impactful performances under the German manager without ever becoming a regular starter.

However, the arrival of Arne Slot complicated things. Elliott saw his prominence wane, and Liverpool started spending heavily to bring in stars from the transfer market.

He joined Aston Villa, only for the loan spell to go disastrously wrong, before moving to Valencia to get his faltering career back on track.

Seven years later, Elliott finds himself preparing to face Real Madrid as a Valencia player. However, his time in Spain has been difficult.

The 23-year-old has managed just 152 minutes across six La Liga appearances without making a single start.

It remains to be seen whether Elliott gets an opportunity against the club he once rejected and how he fares against Real Madrid.