Arsene Wenger reveals he rejected multiple Real Madrid offers

Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger says he turned down more than one offer to become Real Madrid manager during his time with the London club.

Wenger guided the Gunners to three Premier League titles and seven FA Cups during his 21-and-a-half year spell in charge of the club, twice winning a Premier League and FA Cup double and was in charge of the Invincibles in 2003/04.

His success in the first half of his tenure at Highbury lead to plenty of interest from other top clubs across Europe, though the Frenchman always remained loyal to Arsenal until he left in May 2018.

Wenger is ready to return to management now following a nine-month exile from football, recently being linked with the Bayern Munich job following the struggles of Niko Kovac with the Bundesliga giants.

However, the 69-year-old insists a move to Madrid is not on the cards for him, despite the Spanish side’s previous advances earlier on in his career. "I have turned down Real Madrid more than once. I must say now it's over for me," Wenger told beIN Sports.

"I feel if you ask any manager in the world, would you be interested in coaching Real Madrid? Everybody would say yes - it's the biggest club in the world.

"Wenger has no regrets about the decision, adding: "Yes, we live always to our values.

"It was in the middle of a process where we built the stadium, we had to pay it back, I guaranteed I would stay and I am quite happy with my decision."

Wenger also revealed on beIN Sports that he made an attempt to sign Borussia Dortmund winger Jadon Sancho during his time as Arsenal manager during the player’s days in the youth team at Manchester City.

Sancho left England for Germany in the summer of 2017 after growing impatient at a lack of first-team opportunities during his time at City and has since flourished, becoming a regular in the Dortmund starting XI since doing so.

The 18-year-old has already become a fully-fledged England international, earning his first caps under Gareth Southgate at the end of 2018 and looks set to play a big part in the future of the national team.

However, things could have been very different for Sancho had Wenger had his way, who attempted to use his links to London to bring him to the Emirates Stadium after it became apparent that the player wanted to leave.

"I wanted to take him from Man City when he didn't get the games.

"I tried to lure him because he's from London. I tried to get him to Arsenal. He's one of the best players of his generation. He can dribble, he has the arrogance.

"There's something in there that is part of the big players. You can call it arrogance, confidence, belief; but it has to be there."

Wenger has previously stated his intention to return to football management this year, although it currently remains unclear as to where he will make his comeback. Seeing him not in an Arsenal dugout will be a strange experience to say the least.

However, SkyBet have already placed the odds of Wenger not managing a club by August 1 at 2/1, with the belief being that he is more likely to stay out of work than returning any time soon.

Bayern Munich are still 4/1, with the team currently trailing Bundesliga leaders Borussia Dortmund by five points after underperforming in the early weeks of the season. Wenger is yet to manage in Germany in his career, though they have favoured experienced appointments in recent times in Carlo Ancelotti and Jupp Heynckes.

AC Milan are also said to be in the frame at 7/1, with former Arsenal Chief Executive Ivan Gazidis now employed by the Serie A club. Real Madrid (10/1), Barcelona (10/1) and Paris Saint-Germain (14/1) are also in the mix.