Thiago Silva rejected a last-ditch offer to remain at Paris Saint-Germain and pressed ahead with his move to Chelsea, according to the Brazilian’s agent Paulo Tonietto.
The 35-year-old completed his move to Chelsea last week after spending eight seasons in the French capital.
During his time at PSG, Thiago Silva won six Ligue 1 titles and finished his time at the club with a defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League final.
Thiago Silva has signed a one-year contract with Chelsea, with the option for second season, but his representative has revealed that PSG’s sporting director, Leonardo, made a late plea for him to remain in France.
Tonietto also revealed that PSG’s head coach, Thomas Tuchel, was keen to keep Thiago Silva in his squad.
‘He [Thiago Silva] was no longer hoping [for a new contract] because Leonardo told him two months ago that he did not want to extend,’ Tonietto told L’Equipe.
‘But last Tuesday, Leonardo called Thiago and spoke about the possibility of staying for another year.
‘Thiago had already found an agreement with Chelsea, he couldn’t go back on it. When you get such an offer, you have to be convinced by it.
‘Tuchel always wanted to keep Thiago. Leonardo was the one who didn’t want him.
‘That is why, even if he hadn’t signed with Chelsea, Thiago couldn’t see how he could have accepted the offer from Leonardo.’
