Ricardo Kishna: 'I turned down Arsenal'

Lazio midfielder Ricardo Kishna has claimed that he rejected a move to Arsenal in order to join the Rome outfit.

The 20-year-old moved to the Italian side in July for a reported fee of €4m (£2.95m) from Ajax, but he has admitted that there were a number of other clubs interested in his services.

"I had a good rapport with the Biancocelesti from the first moment," Kishna told Dutch media. "I was a fan of Serie A and Lazio were one of the most entertaining sides to watch. They had a fresh and enjoyable style of football, plus they scored lots of goals.

"When I met the coach and director of sport in Brussels, they convinced me straight away. I thought this proposal was very important for me because I was looking for a club, but also people to work with who would satisfy me. They wanted me because I could cover any of the attacking positions.

"For Lazio I turned down sides like Juventus, Roma and Arsenal."

Kishna scored on his Lazio debut in a 2-1 victory over Bologna on the opening day of the season.