Johnson thought his mates were playing a joke on him, according to the People.
He said: “I’m obviously honoured to have been linked with a team like Real Madrid. Even to just be linked with them is unbelievable for me.
“I had a lot of the lads giving me phone calls telling me I was going to Real Madrid and I was like: ‘You’re winding me up’.
“The transfer window isn’t even open yet, though, so I’m just getting on with England and trying to show what I can do.”
