Barcelona Transfer News: Jerome Boateng Reveals Snub, Issues Bayern Taunt

Bayern Munich centre-back Jerome Boateng has revealed he turned down the opportunity to join Barcelona last summer, saying, "you no longer leave Bayern Munich for Barcelona when you want to win the Champions League."

His comments were reported by Sport Bild (h/t Stefan Coerts of Goal.com): 

I do not know the exact details of how much Barcelona offered for me, but it is true that they wanted to sign me.

It's hugely flattering when a club like Barcelona show an interest in signing you. But these days, you no longer leave Bayern Munich for Barcelona when you want to win the Champions League.

At Bayern, I play for one of the four best clubs in the world. There is no better club for a German player. I would be delighted if I could stay at Bayern for a long time and end my career here after winning many trophies.

Luis Enrique worked avidly to try to strengthen Barca's defence, eventually signing Valencia's Jeremy Mathieu and Thomas Vermaelen from Arsenal.

Although Mathieu has proved to be a quality addition to the squad, Vermaelen is yet to make a competitive appearance after suffering prolonged injury problems that will come as little surprise to Gunners followers.

Boateng can be considered a step above both players, combining strength, athleticism and technical ability to outline himself as one of the world's best centre-backs. He has rebuilt his career since a poor tenure with Manchester City, playing an important role in winning eight trophies since heading to Bavaria in 2011.

It is interesting to note the German doesn't consider Barca on par with Bayern. The Blaugrana failed to win a trophy last season but are working their way back to becoming a superpower on the continent.

This isn't the same side that enjoyed an era of success under current Bayern boss Pep Guardiola, but Barca are second in La Liga, remain in the Champions League and have a Copa del Rey semi-final to look forward to.

Bayern are able to canter toward league titles in Germany and are currently eight points clear of an emergent Wolfsburg team. Boateng has made 27 appearances across all competitions, per WhoScored.com, averaging 1.9 tackles and interceptions in each display. He would offer Barca the burst of pace they currently lack at centre-back without compromising on size.

Boateng's qualities can be seen below:

It's likely Enrique will quickly move to strengthen Barca's defensive options when the side's current transfer ban concludes in January 2016. Although Gerard Pique's form has largely improved, he is never far away from coasting to a mistake. There's still the sense that playing Javier Mascherano in defence is a half-measure that overlooks his distribution qualities previously shown in midfield.

Boateng would be an excellent fit, but his comments suggest the Camp Nou doesn't possess the luring power it once did.