Thiago Silva’s agent says Paris Saint-Germain made a late offer to try and keep their captain, who had already decided to sign for Chelsea.
Brazil centre-back Silva joined the Premier League club on a free transfer on Friday after his PSG contract expired.
The 35-year-old, who joined PSG from Milan in 2012, confirmed he had played his last game for Thomas Tuchel’s side after their Champions League final defeat to Bayern Munich last Sunday.
Paulo Tonietto, Silva’s representative, revealed the Ligue 1 champions’ sporting director Leonardo presented the veteran with a last-ditch proposal to stay in the French capital.
Tonietto said it would have been “humiliating” for Silva to remain with PSG after Leonardo had informed him he was surplus to requirements two months ago.
He told L’Equipe: “He [Silva] had given up hope [of signing a new deal] because Leonardo told him two months ago that he did not want to extend it. But last Tuesday, Leonardo called Thiago and raised the possibility that he would stay another year.
“Thiago had already reached an agreement with Chelsea, there was no turning back. When you make such a proposal, you have to be convinced.
“An athletic director who tells a player he doesn’t want him anymore, and two months later wants to extend it, how do you take that?
“In a club, the athletic director and the coach have to walk together. This was not the case. Tuchel always wanted to keep Thiago. The one who didn’t want to is Leonardo, and he’s the one with the power.
“That’s why, even if he hadn’t signed with Chelsea, Thiago couldn’t see how he could have accepted Leonardo’s proposal given what he had told him two months earlier. It would have been humiliating.
“We never talked about money or the length of the contract. Never. Leonardo just said he wasn’t counting on him anymore. Nothing more.”
Silva joined Chelsea on a one-year deal, with the option of a further 12 months at Stamford Bridge.
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