Chelsea defender Marcos Alonso has revealed he rejected the chance to join Barcelona last season before switching to England from Fiorentina.
The 26-year-old ‘did not think twice’ about the chance to move to Stamford Bridge and was not prepared to leave Italy when Barca came calling.
“There were some great teams interested in me in the summer but I decided to join Chelsea because they are a team that I had always liked," Alonso, who started his career at Real Madrid, is quoted as saying by IBTimes UK.
"I saw a possibility of succeeding here. I had some other offers from other teams from Italy and Spain but when Chelsea came to get me, I did not think twice.
“Chelsea are a club that had always attracted me. From my early years at Bolton I knew that Chelsea were a great club and the truth is that I was right to come here.
“Things are going well but I have to continue this way because I think I still can give much more. Now with the tranquility of not having to prove anything I have to keep improving.
"Barcelona? I think there was some conversations but the truth is that at that point it was not in my plans to leave Fiorentina…it was only when the interest from Chelsea arrived in the summer when I started to consider to make a change."