Middlesbrough's Adama Traore turned down a move to Bayern Munich before joining former Premier League side Aston Villa, according to reports in Spain.
The speedy winger had been the subject of an enquiry from Pep Guardiola - then manager of the Bundesliga giants - during Traore's time at his and Guardiola's ex-club Barcelona.
Guardiola is alleged to have contacted Traore over the possibility of him joining the 45-year-old in Germany's top flight in a bit to entice him away from the Camp Nou.
However, Mundo Deportivo claims that the 20-year-old spurned the advances of his former mentor after it emerged that Guardiola may not be extending his stay at the Allianz Arena past his contract's June 2016 expiration date.
Adama Traore completed 9 dribbles against Manchester City - the most of any Premier League player over the weekend [via @WhoScored]
Instead, Traore opted to move to the Premier League and joined Aston Villa in a £8.5m deal in August 2015 as he eyed regular first-team football to continue his footballing development.
Unfortunately for the Spain Under-19 international, his solitary season at Villa Park was a forgettable one as the Villa suffered relegation from England's top flight after a campaign dogged by managerial changes, supporter unrest and off-the-field antics from some of Villa's star players.
Traore himself made just 12 appearances in all competitions for the Midlands outfit as his maiden campaign as a senior player fell some way short of what he had expected.
Guardiola and Traore subsequently made their respective moves to Manchester City and Boro over the summer months, with the latter particularly impressing since he forced his way into the starting line up at the Riverside stadium following a series of bright cameos under Aitor Karanka, including against Guardiola's Citizens side in last Saturday's 1-1 draw at the Etihad.
Since joining Middlesbrough, Traore has made seven appearances in all competitions for the Teesiders.
Read more from Tom Power by following him on twitter!