Danilo confirms he snubbed Chelsea to join Manchester City

Danilo has revealed that he never had any qualms in choosing Manchester City over Chelsea due to the presence of Pep Guardiola at the helm, as the Brazilian is well versed with the exploits of the Spaniard during his time at Barcelona and Bayern Munich.

The 26-year-old garnered the attention of Europe's top clubs during his spell with FC Porto, prompting a big money move to Los Blancos in 2015. The former Santos player went on to make 55 appearances for Madrid in his two-year spell, winning one La Liga title, two Champions Leagues, a Uefa Super Cup and a Fifa Club World Cup.

City have completed five signings thus far, including three full-backs, in the form of Danilo, Benjamin Mendy and Kyle Walker. The defender can play on either side of the flanks and will be an important member in the context of squad depth, with the manager actively pursuing both the Champions League and Premier League titles. He added that the transfer was extremely fast and despite Zinedine Zidane's protestations, he bought into Guardiola's philosophy.

"It was very fast, I was training with Real Madrid, Pep called me and I was very motivated to make this change and start to work with him," Danilo told reporters, as quoted by ESPN. "[Zidane] did [try to convince me to stay] but I was sure I needed to change. I needed to think a bit more about myself and find a place where I had more options. It wasn't a difficult decision to choose City over Chelsea. The moment City called me and Pep called me, I knew what I had to do."

Danilo went on to add that he expects City to win the Champions which was the sole reason he signed for the club in the first place. However, given that the La Liga is a completely different league to its counterpart in England, he will try his best to attune himself to the rigours of the same as fast as possible.

"I have no doubt we can win the Champions League, that's why I chose this team. In all the teams I played for in my life, the objectives have always been the same," he added. "I'm going to try my best to adapt as soon as possible. I see the potential in this side and I am going to do my best. The season is very long, there are a lot of games, and it's good to have good players with the same potential," he added.