Alvaro Arbeloa has said that he turned down a move to AC Milan this summer before agreeing to join West Ham and return to the Premier League.
The Spanish defender, who played for Liverpool from 2007-09, was a free agent after being released by European champions Real Madrid at the end of the 2015-16 campaign.
The 33-year-old agreed a one-year deal with the Hammers.
"The conversations with AC Milan were at an advanced stage but the Chinese takeover of the [Italian] club complicated the deal," Arbeloa told Cadena Cope. "I took a decision not to continue with this option and fortunately, this offer [West Ham] came along.