Youri Tielemans has revealed his desire to push through a transfer before the start of pre-season was a big factor in his decision to ignore rumoured interest from Manchester United and join Leicester permanently.
The Foxes signed the 22-year-old from Monaco for a club record fee of £40 million ($50m) on Monday, following his impressive loan spell at the King Power Stadium last season.
The Belgium international spent the last sixth months of the 2018-19 campaign with Leicester and he managed to contribute three goals and four assists in 13 Premier League appearances.
A number of top European clubs were thought to be chasing Tielemans' signature this summer, including Man Utd, but he opted to continue his development in familiar surroundings.
The midfielder's agent reportedly expressed a desire to wait and see if Paul Pogba left Old Trafford before making a final decision on his future, but his client wanted to link up with a new squad as soon as possible.
Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, Tielemans explained that he had his heart set on Leicester ever since the international break at the start of June.
"I gave myself some time to think about it but after the international break it was clear to me I wanted to come [to Leicester]," said Tielemans.
"The second part of the season went very well for me and the team and I wanted to keep playing at a positive club with a lot of ambition and potential.
"I wanted to make pre-season with the club I was going to play for next season which is why we got the deal done and I'm really happy to be here."
Tielemans became the third new arrival at Leicester this summer, after Ayoze Perez and James Justin were also lured to the King Power from Newcastle and Luton respectively.
Brendan Rodgers is shaping a squad capable of challenging for a place in the Premier League's top six, with one of two additional signings expected before August.
United, meanwhile, have been frustrated in the market so far and missed out on a few high profile targets, but have at least managed to bring in Daniel James from Swansea and Aaron Wan-Bissaka from Crystal Palace for a combined total of £65 million ($81m).
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer may also be forced to offload a few key stars, with Pogba's future at the Theatre of Dreams still very much up in the air as Real Madrid plot an approach and Romelu Lukaku the subject of interest from Serie A giants Inter.
