Seri tells Liverpool & Chelsea they didn't work hard enough to do €30m deal

Jean Michael Seri has told Chelsea, Tottenham and Liverpool that they did not do enough during the last transfer window to keep him away from Fulham.

The Ivory Coast international was expected to be involved in a big-money deal over the summer after registering on the radar of leading sides across Europe.

Premier League interest in his services built steadily during a productive spell at Nice, with Barcelona also coming close to securing his signature at one stage.

It was, however, to be Fulham that put a €30 million (£27m/$35m) deal in place, with Seri revealing that the Cottagers were the only side to make him feel truly valued.

The 27-year-old midfielder told The Times: “When I played for Pacos de Ferreira in Portugal, Nice came for me and they really came.

“Fulham wanted me the same way. They said: ‘We want you, come to Fulham.’

“Chelsea, Tottenham, Liverpool, they saw me but they didn’t say: ‘We want you.’ Because Fulham gave me this respect, although other clubs wanted me, I wanted to sign for Fulham.

“Fulham said to my president: ‘We want Mica Seri, talk to him if he’s interested because we know Chelsea, Manchester want him and he almost signed for Barcelona but we are back in the Premier League.’

“My president calls me, he says: ‘Fulham want you, do you want to go?’ I say: ‘If they want me, they respect me. The big clubs want me but Fulham show they want me’.”

Seri penned a four-year contract with Fulham upon his arrival at Craven Cottage, with that deal including the option for a 12-month extension.

The Cottagers will be hoping to be in a position to trigger that clause come 2022, with the west London club currently looking to cement a standing back among the Premier League elite.

Having opened the season with successive defeats, they collected their first victory back in the big time last time out against Burnley – with that success followed by a win over Exeter in the Carabao Cup.