Bayern Munich's new defensive signing Medhi Benatia has admitted in a recent interview that he wanted to stay at Roma, despite rumoured interest from many top European clubs including the Bundesliga champions as well as Chelsea and Manchester City from the Premier League.
In his first official interview as a Bayern player, he said: "I discussed my future with sporting director Walter Sabatini - he told me the club wanted to hold onto me but that there was a need to sell me to make money; which bothered me because I wanted to stay. I felt great at Roma right from the beginning - we finished second and all was great for me. I scored 5 goals and even captained the team, the people trusted me, and I did not think that I'd be leaving."
"Manchester City and Chelsea wanted me, while there were also approaches from Real Madrid and Barcelona but let it be clear that I was happy to join Bayern Munich, although here it is a bit cold."
"I did not want to miss out on the opportunity when Bayern voiced their interest, I perceived the offer as a huge chance, and told Sabatini that I wanted to join them. Bayern are one of the top four clubs in the world - they play for every title year in, year out and you don't reject such an offer. "
Benatia also revealed that Guardiola's presence at the club helped his decision to move to the Bundesliga: "For a player, Pep Guardiola is the best coach there is right now and makes you better."