Florian Thauvin left Marseille for the second time in 2021, as a free agent, and sealed a switch to Tigres UANL.
Prior to agreeing a deal with the Mexican club, Crystal Palace and West Ham United were keen on signing the forward. Back in 2021, he detailed why he turned down approaches made by the Eagles and the Hammers.
Crystal Palace and West Ham were not the only English clubs to have looked at the 29-year-old. Manchester City were also keen on bringing the former Newcastle United man back to the Premier League.
That’s according to Ludovic Deléchat, a specialist in sports law, who ‘collaborated in the transfer’ of the player to Tigres.
TuttoMercatoWeb interviewed Deléchat, and he revealed Pep Guardiola’s side and the two London clubs were among the teams that came forward in signing Thauvin last year.
“There were talks with Pablo Longoria, the president, then the interest of big clubs like Milan, Atalanta, Rome, Atletico Madrid, Manchester City, West Ham, Crystal Palace, Lyon towards the end.”
Despite the interest shown by Manchester City, Crystal Palace, David Moyes’ side and other European clubs, Thauvin’s friend and Tigers star André-Pierre Gignac, played a role in his decision to join the Mexican club.
“Gignac is a friend of his, they played together, they stayed very, very close and he offered him this opportunity,” Deléchat explained.
“The club was very convinced about the player, they pushed a lot at the end of April 2021. He made this life choice, he really liked the idea, the project and the passion that exists in the country.”
