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A former Real Madrid scout has revealed that Barcelona academy graduates Sergio Busquets and Sergi Roberto could have ended up at Los Blancos.

Full screen Busquets has been a key cog in the Barça midfield for almost a decade. Rodolfo Molina (DIARIO AS)

Manolo Romero parted company with Barça's arch rivals this week after spending 25 years working for the capital club as a talent-spotter in Catalonia.

"Madrid invited Busquets for a trial, but..."

And speaking to Ràdio Barcelona's Què t’hi jugues , he recalled Real's interest in snapping up the pair - now Blaugrana first-team fixtures - as youth players.

Full screen Roberto (left) has been LaLiga's top supplier of assists so far this season. Gorka Leiza (DIARIO AS)

"Madrid invited Busquets for a trial, but Barça reacted and signed him without one," he said of the midfielder, who recently extended his illustrious Camp Nou stay.

Roberto to Real "was practically done"

On the versatile Roberto, who has shone at right-back since Dani Alves' departure, he explained: "When he was an under-15s player at Nàstic, I met with his parents."

"He was close to going there [Real]; it was practically done."