Former Barcelona midfielder Cesc Fabregas says they've been seeking a replacement for Sergi Busquets for over a year.

The Catalan giants had considered signing Aurelien Tchouameni before Real Madrid secured his services. Cesc praised his former Monaco teammate and his quality as a player and recommended they sign him, but financial problems prevented them from doing so.

"I spoke to Barça because they were looking for a replacement for Busquets, but they were short of money. I told them about Aurélien. They wanted to prepare for the succession of Sergio Busquets and to me, he was the perfect player."

However, the critical financial situation of the club prevented him from joining. The offer could not exceed 40 million.

So finally the player ended up wearing white, in an operation that would exceed 100 million euros including add-ons. He is now one of the most promising players in Deschamps' national team.

Cesc also added that "Aurélien has no limits, I quickly realised he was not a player like the others. The first time I saw him was against Bordeaux with Monaco. I was on the bench and I was impressed with his performance. They beat us and I remember asking one of our assistants: 'but who is this midfielder?'"