Sevilla had a chance to sign Dimitri Payet before he eventually decided to join Marseille from West Ham United, Monchi has revealed.
The Sevilla sporting director admitted such a deal would have been a long-shot but there was a ‘real’ effort from the Europa League winners to land the French star.
"The effort was real, but it was something that was beyond even the impossible," Monchi told reporters on Wednesday.
"He was trying to take advantage of the situation between his club [West Ham] and Marseille. There had been a slight chance for us, but in the end, they reached an agreement and the transfer was made. But we held out hope."
Payet eventually chose to return to Marseille on a four-and-a-half year deal in a deal worth approximately €27m.
