Gianliuigi Buffon has revealed that Premier League giants Arsenal, Manchester United and Manchester City, all tried to lure him to England in the past but failed.
The Juventus and Italy goalkeeper, says he met with Arsene Wenger in 1998 to discuss a move to Arsenal, while former United boss, Sir Alex Ferguson was also keen on taking him to Old Trafford.
Buffon turned down all the offers and stayed in Italy.
“I remember when I was 20 years old in 1998 I had dinner once with Wenger from Arsenal,” Buffon told BT Sport.
“Then when I was at Parma, Manchester United definitely had their eyes on me for a long time with Ferguson.
“Let’s say that the most serious and direct approach I had was from Manchester City. They wanted to start their adventure by signing two or three more renowned players and I was one of them. That was 2007 or 2008 roughly.
“However, nothing came of it for various reasons.”
The 38-year-old has gone on to make over 550 appearances for Juve, winning eight Serie A titles during that time.
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