The 24-year-old turned down a move to Real and instead joined Manchester City in a £26million deal.
“There were options to stay in Spain when it was clear I would leave Valencia in the summer,” he said in The Sun.
“I was aware of the interest from Madrid at the time, it’s a huge club and they have a great coach now.
“It’s true that a lot of Spanish and Portuguese players want to play for a club like Real. It’s normally them or Barcelona.
“So it was nice to know there was interest. Of course, they were in the Champions League and that’s a competition I’m used to playing in and want to play in again.
“But for me, I wanted to live through a new experience. I wanted to play outside of Spain and England was my choice.
“Also it was City who made the strongest move for me during the World Cup and that meant a lot to me. I was excited by what they told me.
“I knew Roberto Mancini had tried to sign me when he was at Inter.
“That showed what belief he had in me. He really impressed me and I’ve enjoyed working for him. He’s a really good young manager.”
