Barcelona striker Jenni Hermoso has admitted that she has held initial talks with Real Madrid but insists she feels at ‘home’ with her current club.
Hermoso is out of contract at the end of the season and has been linked with a move away from Barça, the club she re-joined for a second spell in 2019. Real have been the rumoured destination.
The 31-year-old has been played a major role in Barcelona’s rise to dominance in the women’s game in Spain and across Europe, scoring goals at a prolific rate over the last two and a half years.
That form saw Hermoso finish second the in the 2021 Ballon d’Or standings behind teammate Alexia Putellas and third in the recent Best FIFA Women’s Player vote.
But Real are an ambitious new club and Hermoso also hails from the city, having previously had two successful spell with city rivals Atletico.
Discussing her immediate future, the Spain international appeared to suggest that, despite contact with Real, a contract renewal at Barcelona was more likely than that transfer.
“Sometimes we have had a conversation with Madrid, but it has never gone further. I have always felt that Barça is my home. The negotiations for my renewal are there,” she said, via Mundo Deportivo.
For Hermoso, choosing Real Madrid could mean missing out on playing in the Champions League next season. Los Blancos are currently struggling compared to the standards they set themselves last season by finishing second to qualify for European competition for the first time.
Only the top three will get into the Champions League and Real sit 11 points adrift at the halfway stage of the campaign. They do, however, have multiple games in hand on those above them.
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