GIANLUIGI BUFFON HAS admitted to snubbing “a very big offer from Manchester City”, having previously turned down their arch-rivals Manchester United during the reign of Alex Ferguson.
The iconic Italian has long held a standing as the finest goalkeeper in world football.
That reputation once made him the costliest custodian of all-time, with Juventus breaking the bank to lure him away from Serie A rivals Parma in 2001.
A move to England could have been made before then, with the now Paris Saint-Germain shot-stopper resisting the advances of Ferguson and the opportunity to join the ranks at Old Trafford.
Another chance to head for the Premier League presented itself following the arrival of Sheikh Mansour’s riches at City, but once again Buffon opted against making a fresh start outside of his homeland.
The 41-year-old finally left Italy last summer after 17 years with Juve, but has told BT Sport of the interest he has attracted from Manchester:
“When I was a boy playing for Parma, Ferguson tracked me closely for two or three years, and he’d always send scouts to watch me.
“At the time, Parma was my world and I didn’t feel like leaving.
I later had a very big offer from Manchester City, when they started to build the team and become the most important side in Europe. They wanted me to be the first signing, but I stayed at Juve.”
Buffon is currently readying himself for a meeting with United in the last-16 of the Champions League on Wednesday.
PSG lead that two-legged tie 2-0 heading into a return date at Parc des Princes.
Kylian Mbappe was among their goalscorers at Old Trafford and continues to be showered with praise during a remarkable run which has made him a World Cup winner and global superstar.
Buffon has saluted his potential in the past, while current boss Thomas Tuchel believes the 20-year-old can go on to achieve anything he sets his mind to.
The PSG manager told BT Sport: “Well the guy is hungry, and he is a big personality, really big.
So this is not always easy, because the big personality is challenging for me as a coach. At the same time he is a really nice guy.
“It is important he has this personality to challenge me, and everyone around him, because he has the hunger to be really as special player in history.”
Subscribe to our new podcast, The42 Rugby Weekly, here:
