Paris Saint-Germain president, Nasser al-Khelaifi, has claimed that other clubs were ready to offer more money than they did for Kylian Mbappe.
Mbappe will become the second most expensive player of all time next season, after arriving on loan for this campaign.
The 18-year-old has made it clear that he wanted to play for his hometown club, which also happened to sign Neymar for a world record £199million in the summer.
PSG will pay £166m for Mbappe after this season, but al-Khelaifi claims other clubs offered more for his services.
While al-Khelaifi did not reveal which clubs, Arsene Wenger has made no secret of his appreciation for Mbappe and that Arsenal tried to land the player.
Cashed up Manchester City also had their eye on him, but Real Madrid were considered the front runners before PSG swooped.
“It was very competitive, trust me – some other clubs offered him more than us,” al-Khelaifi told The Telegraph.
“Every big club wanted him. But we explained to him our project and the ambition of the club and he’s French, he’s a Parisian and he had the club in his heart.
“He wanted to stay in France and defends the French colours in the Champions League. It’s deep inside him.
“He wants to write history here and he has history here already – you saw the pictures of him (at his unveiling) when he was here 10 years ago? A picture does not lie. He loves the club and it’s his dream to play for Paris Saint-Germain.”
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