Had three or four clubs to consider, reveals Filipe Luis after Flamengo move

Had three or four clubs to consider, reveals Filipe Luis after Flamengo move

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Former Atletico Madrid star Filipe Luis has revealed that once he had opted to leave the Los Rojiblancos, he had at least four clubs offering him a contract. The veteran left-back ended his nine-year spell with Atletico Madrid at the end of last season before signing with Brazilian side Flamengo.

After struggling to make his name both at Real Madrid and Ajax, a move to Atletico Madrid, via a spell at Deportivo La Coruna, proved to be just the solution for Filipe Luis. The now 34-year-old would go on to flourish with the Los Rojiblancos, playing a key role in their 2013/14 La Liga winning season, and last season he ended a nine-year spell after winning five more trophies.

It’s what saw Chelsea make the move for Luis in the summer of 2014, but his time in England came to an unceremonious end with him re-joining Atletico less than a year later. However, the Brazilian full-back, who recently signed for Flamengo, has revealed that he had the chance to sign for Manchester City, Borussia Dortmund and even Paris Saint-Germain this summer once he announced his decision to leave the Wanda Metropolitano.

“From January until March I had an offer from Manchester City, but it didn’t work out. There was a call from Juninho Pernambucano to go to Lyon, but I said I could only give an answer after the Copa America and they ended up signing someone else. There was Turkey, China, a number of countries that called, but none of them felt right in my heart at the time,” said Luis to Globo Esporte.

"I had a contract with Atletico and an absurd offer came in [from PSG], one that I couldn’t refuse. I went to Atletico Madrid and said ‘if you let me leave, I’d appreciate it’. But they said no, it was impossible for me to leave because they would have to sign another left-back and there wasn’t enough time for that. I didn’t want to fight with Atletico, though, and in the end it didn’t go ahead, but the offer was there and I was close.

“In the end, I had three or four proposals to consider, and then you have to choose So, a lot of things were happening and in the end I closed some important doors, like Borussia. It was a very good offer, but I didn’t feel it in my heart,” concluded the 34-year-old.

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