Argentine forward Carlos Tevez revealed he received a phone call from new Chelsea head coach Antonio Conte in regards to a return to the Premier League.
Tevez’s playing future has been up in the air since Boca Juniors crashed out of the Copa Libertadores semi-finals at the hands of minnows Independiente del Valle a fortnight ago.
The 32-year-old said he was considering quitting football after the loss but has elected to continue playing on for Boca, despite interest from abroad – including West Ham and Corinthians.
And Tevez revealed he had even received a call from Conte – who signed the Argentina international at Juventus in 2013 – about a move to Chelsea.
“After the loss [to Independiente] we had two days off. I was shaken, like everyone at home. I returned to training and I said ‘That’s it, it’s passed’,” he told Radio La Red.
“But I was without any motivation. At that moment I thought about a lot of things, even to leave football. It was leave football or continue at Boca.
“One day later Conte called me to go to Chelsea, and I told him no. I wasn’t in a good way, and I had to think about a lot of things. It was Boca or retire.
“You realise a lot of things, like family. Since I’ve come to Boca I live for the club. When you can’t reach your objective you rethink a lot of things.
“I had to sit back and look at the big picture, and look ahead and see if I had the will to keep playing or not.”
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