Back in November, Arsenal were said to be eyeing a potential deal for Mehdi Benatia, needing some defensive reinforcements.
The same applied to Fulham, who allegedly came forward with an offer in January.
Both stories were reported by TuttoMercatoWeb, and it appears they were correct, at least if you believe Yahoo! Sports in France.
The French outlet claim on Thursday the Morocco international has made a decision on his future, and it won’t be moving to the Premier League, turning down the chance to move to either the Emirates or Craven Cottage.
Benatia, who wanted more playing time than he was getting at Juventus, has accepted an offer from an unnamed Qatari club.
The Serie A champions also tried to get their defender to extend his current deal until 2022, but just like the Arsenal and Fulham offers, he said no.
At 31, perhaps Benatia felt this was the ideal time to start winding down his career while earning a pretty penny at the same time instead of damaging his body further in a league known for its increased intensity.
