By Saheed Afolabi
English football powerhouse Arsenal and Manchester City were rejected by Sergio Ramos before eventually penning his signature for Paris Saint Germain (PSG).
The 35 years old defender was impressed by the structure of PSG despite more lucrative offers from both Premier League sides.
The Spaniard had several offers on his table for months but the PSG project convinced him the most and he could not turn his back on it by signing a two year deal with the French giant after leaving Real Madrid this summer.
Arsenal were very hopeful of landing the world cup winner and offered him a contract worth €17 million (£15m/$20m) per season, which will run for two seasons.
Ramos rejected the offer because Arsenal will not be playing Champions League football next season, while his team were impressed by the offer from the Gunners.
Premier League champions, Manchester City also tabled an offer for Ramos till 2023, which will also take the player to play in Major League Soccer (MLS) for three years with New York City who are owned by the same group that controls Man City.
Despite the length of the contract offered by Man City, Ramos turned down the offer because he has his eyes set on PSG.
Ramos earned €12m (£10m/$14m) per season at Madrid but, the club wanted him to take a pay cut in their offer to extend his stay.
The five-time La Liga champion took time to consider the proposition but by the time he decided to accept, Madrid told him offer had expired.
Days after his departure, PSG called to begin negotiations.
The Ligue 1 side were able to offer him what Madrid would not – a two-year deal worth €12m per season with a bonus that will take his annual salary up to €15m (£13m/$18m).
Ramos made PSG the priority and after several contacts and a trip to the French capital by his brother and agent Rene, it was decided he would team up with Kylian Mbappe and Neymar to help PSG in their hunt for the Champions League crown.
