Valencia star turned down Chelsea move

Valencia centre-half Ezequiel Garay has revealed he snubbed an approach from Chelsea during the previous transfer window. The Argentine joined the Spanish outfit from Zenit St. Petersburg on August 31.

Blues boss Antonio Conte had opted to revive the club's long-standing interest in Garay after Kalidou Koulibaly decided to stay put at Napoli.

But, the 29-year-old was committed to linking up with Los Che with the club's officials having met up with his representative much earlier than the Blues.

While speaking to reporters, Garay insisted that his heart was set on moving to Mestalla due to the confidence showed by Los Che towards his ability.

"[The offer] from Chelsea emerged a week before I completed the move to Valencia. I wanted to play here because of the importance of this club. I had to repay the confidence that Valencia showed in me," he said.

With Garay out of their radar, Chelsea decided to re-sign David Luiz from Paris Saint-Germain on deadline day for a fee of around £34m.