Seydou Keita says he turned down Premier League side Liverpool to sign for troubled La Liga club Valencia.
GettyImagesKeita was on hand to see new club Valencia defeat former employers Barcelona.
Former Barcelona midfielder Keita has returned to La Liga after 18 months with Chinese club Dalian Aerbin, and was presented at the Mestalla in front of about 600 fans on Monday afternoon.
The Mali international told reportersat the event that he had been close to moving to Anfield but had changed his mind when Valencia -- currently sitting in mid-table in La Liga with the club in turmoil off the pitch and up for sale -- had called.
"When we received the call from Valencia, talks with Liverpool were at a very advanced stage," Keita said. "But then I told my agent we were going to Valencia. I did not doubt for a second. When I came to play at Mestalla with Sevilla or Barcelona I suffered a lot to win, because this is a really big club, with fantastic fans. That is why I opted to come here."
The 34-year-old's revelation will compound the disappointment during the January transfer window suffered by Liverpool, who also missed out on signing Ukraine attacker Yevhen Konoplyanka from Dnipro on deadline day and sawChelsea beat them to the signature of Egypt winger Mohamed Salah from Basel.
Keita, who also had offers from teams in Dubai, Qatar and Turkey, has signed an initial six-month deal at Valencia, with an option for another season, as he wanted to prove his fitness after 18 months away from top level club football.
GettyImagesKeita was on hand to see new club Valencia defeat former employers Barcelona.
Former Barcelona midfielder Keita has returned to La Liga after 18 months with Chinese club Dalian Aerbin, and was presented at the Mestalla in front of about 600 fans on Monday afternoon.
The Mali international told reportersat the event that he had been close to moving to Anfield but had changed his mind when Valencia -- currently sitting in mid-table in La Liga with the club in turmoil off the pitch and up for sale -- had called.
"When we received the call from Valencia, talks with Liverpool were at a very advanced stage," Keita said. "But then I told my agent we were going to Valencia. I did not doubt for a second. When I came to play at Mestalla with Sevilla or Barcelona I suffered a lot to win, because this is a really big club, with fantastic fans. That is why I opted to come here."
The 34-year-old's revelation will compound the disappointment during the January transfer window suffered by Liverpool, who also missed out on signing Ukraine attacker Yevhen Konoplyanka from Dnipro on deadline day and sawChelsea beat them to the signature of Egypt winger Mohamed Salah from Basel.
Keita, who also had offers from teams in Dubai, Qatar and Turkey, has signed an initial six-month deal at Valencia, with an option for another season, as he wanted to prove his fitness after 18 months away from top level club football.
