In an exclusive interview with The Athletic, Juventus defender Leonardo Bonucci confirmed that he came on the cusp of joining Manchester City in 2016.
The Italy international is widely regarded as one of the best centre-backs in Serie A history, but he could have been playing Premier League football.
The Cityzens were hot on the trail of his services in the summer of 2016, but a deal failed to materialise with Bonucci staying put with the Bianconeri.
Twelve months later, Bonucci made the switch to AC Milan instead, but the move was far from successful. He returned to the Turin giants after one season.
Bonucci has now revealed that he had the dream of being coached by Pep Guardiola, and a move was close in 2016 before the Bianconeri decided to keep him.
Guardiola wanted to sign him again last summer, but the 34-year-old opted against the transfer to make up for lost time after leaving for Milan in between.
He said: “I had this dream of being coached by Pep. The closest we came was in 2016.