Thiago Silva: I never thought about leaving AC Milan for Paris Saint-Germain
Thiago Silva has insisted that he never seriously thought about leaving AC Milan for Paris Saint-Germain.
The Brazil international appeared set to join the Ligue 1 outfit, after Rossoneri owner Silvio Berlusconi admitted that the cash-strapped Italian club was simply not in a position to turn down the French side's offer of 46 million euros for the player.
However, the former Italian Prime Minister ultimately had a change of heart and Thiago Silva, who subsequently signed a new contract with Milan, is delighted that his proposed move to the Parc des Princes collapsed.
"To be honest, I never thought about leaving Milan," he told reporters at a press conference in Rio de Janeiro on Friday. "In all the interviews I gave I said I wanted to stay and continue my career at Milan. But because I had done well, other clubs opened their eyes and it was only normal that an offer arrived. But I'm glad I stayed."
Thiago Silva also explained that a number of his teammates had got in contact with him in order to persuade him to reject PSG's advances.
"I spoke to [Zlatan] Ibrahimovic, who is a great friend, as well as [Antonio] Cassano, Pato, Robinho and [Mario] Yepes, who all advised me not to leave.
"But I said that my thinking was to make history [at Milan], just as [Paolo] Maldini and [Franco] Baresi did. And to be compared with them is an honor."
Thiago Silva, who has been included in Brazil's Olympic squad, arrived at San Siro in December 2008 from Fluminense.