Former Chelsea star Michael Essien says he was very close to signing for Liver pool in 2002 when he was with French side Bastia.

The Ghanaian eventually moved to Olympic Lyon in 2003 before subsequently joining English side Chelsea in 2004/05  where he lasted for nearly a decade.

Michael Essien during his prime was regarded as one of the best midfielders in the French Ligue 1 and the world.

The Bison was voted as the best player in France in  2005  by France’s National Union of Professional Footballers (UNFP) and also named Ligue 1 Player of the Year.

Essien says he was contacted by Liverpool's then French coach Gerard Houĺlier who invited him to the club's training grounds in Melwood.

“I had lot of offers. I was close to signing for Liverpool when Gerard Houllier was their coach,” the now 37-year-old, who plays for Azerbaijani side Sabail, said on ConvosWithCarol.

”I even went to Melwood to meet the coach. We had a talk and I returned to France but the offers were still coming.

”PSG, Olympique Marseille et al, but I told Bastia I don’t want to move and they also didn’t want to sell me at that time because they wanted me to stay for another year which was fine with me because I also didn’t want to leave the club so I stayed for another season, that’s my third year with the club.

”Olympique Lyon joined the three aforementioned clubs to enquire about me but I thought it was too early to move to England.”

In 2003, Essien eventually joined two-time defending league champions Olympique Lyon in a €7.8 million transfer.

“Lyon were my favourite team when I went to France because they were winning everything I told my agent that if Lyon has come into the picture I’d like to join them.

”PSG were then serious about signing me to the extent that they made an offer. I was back home at that time and the call came that PSG had made a bid for me. It was even on the national television that I had signed for PSG which I had not because I was still in Ghana.

”There was a lot of controversy going on between the board and my agent so when I came went back to Bastia, we met with the board members and the president, and I told them I’d prefer to join Lyon though I liked Paris.

”I was really caught between PSG and Lyon but my preference was always Lyon. I had then spoken to the president and their coach.

”I gave them my word that when I return from my holiday in Ghana I’ll do everything to sign for them but It was not easy.”

He spent two seasons with Olympic Lyon before switching to Chelsea for an African record transfer.