Filipe Luis has confirmed he asked to leave Atletico Madrid in the summer and is unhappy with how the club portrayed his commitment to the club during the saga.
Paris Saint-Germain were heavily linked with a move for Luis in the summer after identifying the 33-year-old as a top transfer target.
Thomas Tuchel’s side reportedly even agreed personal terms with Luis but Atletico categorically ruled out his departure.
Atletico even went to the lengths of setting a valuation to price PSG out of a move for the veteran left-back.
Luis, who is in his second spell at Atletico, has entered the final 12 months of his existing contract and expressed a sadness of being portrayed as a mercenary by the club.
“There was a chance to go to PSG,” he told Globoesporte. “I spoke to Atletico and asked them to let me go, just as they had released Gabi [who joined Al Sadd] recently.
“The club said that it wasn’t the same situation, despite similar periods of time remaining on our contracts.”
“In my situation there was little time before the window closed and finding a replacement would have been difficult.
“When they said they did not want me to leave and they set a price that was not going to be paid, I accepted.”
“They said that I tried to force a move, but it’s a lie. I’ve got history with Atletico and it made me sad. They tried to make my image worse at the club.”
“I’m in my eighth season with Atletico and I’ve played more than 300 games. I will not tarnish my legacy."
Luis has been regarded as one of the best left-backs in Europe for the last few years and it’s understandable why Atletico were desperate to squeeze at least one more year out of the Brazilian.
Of players that have started more than 30 games over the last three La Liga campaigns, only Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Cristiano Ronaldo, Toni Kroos and Gareth Bale have garnered higher WhoScored ratings than Luis (7.48).
