Atletico Madrid held talks with Djibril Sidibe over a transfer last year, the France and Monaco right-back has claimed.
Sidibe is one of the few remaining members of the Monaco side that won Ligue 1 and reached the semi-finals of the Champions League in 2016-17 still plying his trade at Stade Louis II.
And the 26-year-old could have followed Kylian Mbappe, Bernardo Silva, Benjamin Mendy, Fabinho and Tiemoue Bakayoko out of the exit door had negotiations with Atleti - who did secure the services of Sidibe's former team-mate Thomas Lemar before the start of this season - come to fruition.
"Atletico Madrid, I do not know at all. We were in good discussions, but it was complicated in relation to my health after the World Cup," he told Telefoot.
"It's a big club in Spain. My objective right now is to be successful with AS Monaco and we will discuss with the club to find the best solution, "
A seven-match unbeaten run under reinstalled head coach Leonardo Jardim has seen Monaco climb out of the Ligue 1 relegation zone following Thierry Henry's ill-fated stint in charge.
