Lucas Paquetá has said he ignored calls from Premier League sides Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea before joining Flamengo back in his native Brazil.
Paquetá signed for Flamengo on Thursday for £35.8 million ($49.4m), making him the most expensive player ever signed by a Brazilian club.
The 28-year-old, who had 18 months remaining on his contract at West Ham United, told Flamengo TV that two of his former side’s London rivals were interested — but his heart was set on Flamengo.
“Tottenham called, Chelsea called, and the funny thing is that Tata (his agent) called all excited and said: ‘Chelsea’s calling, they’re gonna make an offer.’
“I replied: ‘Okay, but what about Flamengo?’ He said: ‘Are you serious?’
“I said: ‘Yeah, I don’t want to know about that. I want to hear about Flamengo,’ and that’s how it all turned out.”
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West Ham had wanted Paquetá to stay until the end of the season to help the club’s battle to avoid relegation from the Premier League.
However, Paquetá had requested to return to Brazil ahead of the World Cup.
