Atletico Mineiro striker Fred has moved to reveal that he was offered a chance to return to Lyon last summer.
The 33-year-old had enjoyed a successful spell with les Gones a while back, bagging 34 goals in 88 league appearances for the club and winning three Ligue 1 trophies in the process.
Fred has been plying his trade in native Brazil since leaving Lyon in 2009, notching goals for fun at Fluminense before signing a two-and-a-half-year deal with Atletico Mineiro last summer.
However, he now reveals that Lyon expressed a desire to bring him back to France during the summer transfer window, but he didn’t want to pull out of the deal with Atletico Mineiro.
“I was really happy to receive such a proposal. This is not common for a player at my age,” Fred explained to France Football.
“I could have and I would have liked to return. But, I had just signed with Atletico for two and a half years.”
Fred will go down as one of Fluminense’s best signings having joined on a free transfer and went on to score 104 goals in 180 competitive appearances, while he also managed to net 15 times in 33 Brazil caps.
