Verratti: ‘Couldn’t turn down PSG’

Marco Verratti admits “my dream was to play in Serie A with Pescara” but couldn’t turn down Paris Saint-Germain.

The Azzurri star has never played in Italy’s top-flight, moving to Ligue 1 immediately after winning promotion with the Delfini

“When they told me about PSG I wasn’t convinced,” Verratti admitted to Sky.

“My dream was to play in Serie A with Pescara. But this train passes you once in your life, and you can’t afford to miss it.

Marco Verratti admits “my dream was to play in Serie A with Pescara” but couldn’t turn down Paris Saint-Germain.

The Azzurri star has never played in Italy’s top-flight, moving to Ligue 1 immediately after winning promotion with the Delfini

“When they told me about PSG I wasn’t convinced,” Verratti admitted to Sky.

“My dream was to play in Serie A with Pescara. But this train passes you once in your life, and you can’t afford to miss it.

“I arrived in the knowledge that it’d be very difficult, but it went smoothly thanks to my teammates. They welcomed me like a little brother.

“Then [Carlo] Ancelotti came in, and he was like a second father to me. He put me at ease.”

The star man at Parc Des Princes is former Milan forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic, but Verratti insists the Swede is nothing like his brash public image.

“From the outside he seems very harsh, but he’s really very nice and funny. He’s a great man who had a difficult childhood.

“If you know him well he’s a great guy.”