Lille midfield playmaker Renato Sanches claims he almost moved to the club's Ligue 1 rivals Paris Saint-Germain in 2018.
The Portugal international joined Lille from Bayern Munich for a club-record €25million in August.
However, the 22-year-old revealed he would have been playing in France sooner had Bayern been prepared to sell him to PSG the previous year.
"It is true that I had a serious offer from PSG," Sanches told Telefoot.
"But my club and my former coach Niko Kovac did not want let me go."
Renato Sanches vs Montpellier #LOSCMHSC
— OptaJean (@OptaJean) December 13, 2019
1 goal
5 shots (4 on target) : record of the game
10 dribbles completed : record in Ligue 1 2019/20
8 touches in the opponent box : co-record of the game
8 recoveries : co-record of his team.
Fire. pic.twitter.com/SsvkPIvhiK
Sanches, who signed a four-year contract with Lille, scored his first goal for the club in their 2-1 win over Montpellier in Ligue 1 last Friday.