Lucas Ocampos has revealed that he was close to joining Fiorentina in the January transfer window.
The 20-year-old joined Marseille on loan from Monaco last month, but he would have moved to the Viola had Juan Cuadrado not been signed by Chelsea.
"I needed to leave Monaco, where I wasn't playing much at all," Ocampos told La Provence. "I had several options, among them was Fiorentina.
"Everything looked like it was done with them, but the sale of Cuadrado to Chelsea scuppered the whole operation.
"Today I'm happy to wear the jersey of a big club like Marseille."
Ocampos scored on his debut for Marseille in a 1-1 draw with Rennes last month.
