Diego Laxalt admits he was close to Zenit St Petersburg, but “when the call arrived from Milan, I realised this was the best choice.”
The Uruguay international spent most of his career in Italy with Inter, Bologna, Empoli and Genoa, but joined Milan for €14m plus bonuses today.
“Arriving at one of the most important clubs in the world is a dream come true,” said the 25-year-old winger in his Press conference.
Diego Laxalt admits he was close to Zenit St Petersburg, but “when the call arrived from Milan, I realised this was the best choice.”
The Uruguay international spent most of his career in Italy with Inter, Bologna, Empoli and Genoa, but joined Milan for €14m plus bonuses today.
“Arriving at one of the most important clubs in the world is a dream come true,” said the 25-year-old winger in his Press conference.
“One tries to improve every day and I am ready for this new challenge. I think I had a positive career path because it helped me reach this point.
“It’s true that I was in negotiations with Zenit, but when the call arrived from Milan, I realised this was the best choice and a great opportunity to change my career level.”
Laxalt attracted attention from Zenit St Petersburg largely due to his impressive performances for Uruguay at the 2018 World Cup.
“I experienced it as a dream come true. It was a wonderful experience and another opportunity to grow in a role I hadn’t played in that regularly.
“It certainly changed something in my career and is one of the events that took me to Milan today.”
He had been due to make his debut against old club Genoa on Sunday, but the match was postponed following the tragic collapse of the Morandi bridge, killing at least 39 people.
"It was a tragedy and the last few days in the city felt so sad. My heart goes out to the families of those affected."