Lucas Paquetá revealed that he turned down interest from Premier League clubs Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea prior to his return to Flamengo in Brazil.
Paquetá officially joined Flamengo on Thursday for a fee of £35.8 million ($49.4 million), setting a record as the most expensive signing in the history of Brazilian football.
The 28-year-old midfielder, who still had 18 months left on his contract with West Ham United, shared with Flamengo TV that two clubs from London expressed interest, but his desire was firmly with Flamengo.
“Tottenham called, Chelsea reached out as well, and my agent, Tata, was excited and said, ‘Chelsea is interested; they’re going to make an offer.’
“I responded, ‘That’s great, but what about Flamengo?’ He was surprised and said, ‘Are you serious?’
“I confirmed, ‘Absolutely, I don’t want to hear about those clubs; I want to know about Flamengo,’ and that’s how it all unfolded.”
– January transfer window: Evaluating the major signings in men’s soccer
– Arbeloa urges Madrid fans to support the team after UCL setback
West Ham had hoped Paquetá would remain at the club until the end of the season to aid their fight against relegation from the Premier League. However, he expressed a desire to return to Brazil ahead of the World Cup.