Mario Mandzukic: 'I turned down Premier League move'

Mandzukic: 'I rejected Premier League'

Atletico Madrid striker Mario Mandzukic has revealed that he turned down offers from clubs in the Premier League to join the Spanish champions in the summer.

The 28-year-old was said to be on Arsenal and Chelsea's radar in the previous transfer window, but he opted for a £17.5m switch to the Vicente Calderon from Bayern Munich.

Mandzukic told Croatian newspaper Sportske Novosti: "I had better offers than from Atletico. There were calls from the UK that interested me, but I believe that their style of football is simply not my way. There were also interest from Italy and some concrete offers from Russia.

"I'm very pleased with everything. I couldn't choose a better path after leaving Bayern Munich. The fans here accepted me immediately. Atletico was the best possible decision for me at this stage of my career."

Mandzukic scored Atletico's second goal in their 5-0 Champions League win over Malmo in midweek.

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