Axel Witsel has admitted that he had the opportunity to sign for Juventus, but would consider a move to Bayern Munich to be superior.
The Belgian midfielder joined Chinese Super League outfit Tianjin Quanjian, under the tutelage of former Bianconeri centre-back Fabio Cannavaro, from Zenit St. Petersburg in January.
However, prior to the move, Witsel had appeared to be on the verge of signing for Juventus, only to turn down the Serie A holders and accept Tianjin’s offer.
The 28-year-old was adamant that he was not irrelevant in the Far East and had been approached by Bayern Munich coach Carlo Ancelotti, before revealing he would rather join the German champions than Juventus.
“Everyone thinks that I would be forgotten by coming here, but it’s not true,” Witsel told Le Vif. “I will give an example. Carlo Ancelotti called Cannavaro two weeks ago and asked if he could contact me.
“He wanted to bring me to Bayern, and this is the proof that you are not forgotten by the biggest clubs in European football just because you are playing in China.
“I could have gone to Juventus, but Bayern are an even higher level.”
Former Benfica man Witsel has scored eight goals in 79 appearances for Belgium since debuting in 2008.
