Legendary goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon was tempted to join several teams this summer, and days before he decided to head back to Juventus, he was tempted by two Premier League clubs to join their ranks.
The 41-year-old footballer came close to join FC Porto, Parma, and even Barcelona, but once he made up his mind about the kind of team he wanted to sign for, Manchester United and Manchester City offered him a spot in their squad.
Manchester United was looking to replace David De Gea, who has failed to sign a contract extension. On the other hand, Manchester City was interested in having the Italian shot-stopper around to pass his knowledge on to Ederson Moraes and to fight for a spot on the bench with Claudio Bravo.
Eventually, according to the Daily Mail, he decided to join Juventus after a phone call with Juventus' president Andrea Agnelli, who reportedly told him that if he was set to join a team to be on the bench, he should return to the bianconeri, where he would be give a fighting chance to become the team's No.1 goalie.
Buffon turned down a bumper deal that would have earned him twice as much money as he will earn during his one-year deal with Juve.
Added to that, he managed to include a clause in his contract that will see him play at least ten Serie A games, so he can leapfrog Paolo Maldini as the most capped player in Serie A history.
Whether Buffon ends up as Juve's No.1 goalkeeper again is yet to be seen, but he will surely be handed a legitimate shot at the job, something he wouldn't have enjoyed either at Old Trafford or at the Etihad.
