Loic Remy has opened up on his failed move to Liverpool in 2014 whilst claiming he received last minute interest from Arsenal before moving to Chelsea.
The former striker joined the Blues in a permanent deal from Queens Park Rangers in August 2014. Remy scored 12 goals in 47 appearances before leaving on a free transfer to Las Palmas in 2017 after a loan spell at Crystal Palace.
Remy won a Premier League title and League Cup during his time in West London. But it could have turned out so differently with Liverpool on the verge of a deal before his switch to Stamford Bridge.
The Frenchman claims a move to Anfield was only halted after the Merseysiders decided not to proceed with the transfer due to a problem with his medical.
"Signing for Chelsea was the craziest move of my career, for sure," he said at the launch of Ladbrokes' Gaffer of all Accas. "I can remember being on holiday, back in my home country, on a small island, and my agent gave me a call to tell me that Liverpool wanted to sign me. They were training in Boston for pre-season. That was fantastic news for me, so I asked him about the next steps.
"My agent told me what I needed to do and where I needed to go, but at the time, I didn't have my passport on me, so I couldn't make it to Boston. At the time, my agent was the same as Patrice Evra's - so Patrice's brother went to Lyon, my hometown, to get my passport, I then travelled all the way to Paris, and met Patrice's brother there, he gave me the passport and I flew straight to Boston.
"We arrived, me and my agent, and it all felt like a dream - it was happening so quickly. I met all the guys, started doing my interviews, and had a medical, but something was wrong. I didn't know what was wrong, but they said I just needed to wait for a couple of days. At this moment, I was a Liverpool player as far as I was concerned, because I'd done the interviews, and I still have a picture of myself on my phone, holding their scarf!
"It was a very proud moment for me, but two days later I found out that there was a problem with my medical, and the deal was off - they didn't want to take the risk, and while I was so disappointed, I accepted it and went back to London, ready to start training with QPR again. And then, Chelsea called my agent and said they wanted to sign me. They asked if I was available, which I was, and so we went to Cobham to do my medical."
There was almost one final twist when Remy claimed that last-minute interest from Arsenal emerged. However, he does not regret choosing Chelsea over the Gunners.
He added: "It's funny, because just before we signed, my agent had a call from Arsenal, who were asking whether I'd signed or not. 'No, no, he's on his way to sign now,' they replied. 'Tell him not to sign - we want him!' Was the response.
"My agent told me this, and the market was so close to closing, and so he gave me the choice between Chelsea and Arsenal. In the end, I went with Chelsea because I just thought that Arsenal should have manifested themselves long before the end of the transfer window. I was already at Cobham, ready to sign with Chelsea, had passed my medical, so I decided I wasn't going to change my mind.
"A mistake, or not? I don't think it was; at the end of the day, I won titles with Chelsea, but yes, it was a very complicated move behind the scenes!"
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Chelsea flag prior the UEFA Champions League Quarter Final Leg One match between Chelsea FC and Real Madrid at Stamford Bridge. (Photo by Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
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