Milan midfielder Giacomo Bonaventura revealed Internazionale and Verona were inches away from signing him before he joined the Rossoneri.
Internazionale's Piero Ausilio explained the club had an option to buy the player last month but decided not to enforce the option after Fredy Guarin decided to stay at the club.
"At 3pm I was close to signing for Internazionale then Verona made a move but at 8:30pm they told me I was going to Milan," Bonaventura is quoted as saying by MilanNews.it.
"At one stage I thought I was going to stay at Atalanta but it was a nice ending to the day, I'm at a big club.
"It's also thanks to [Filippo] Inzaghi that I joined this club, I want to learn a lot from him and from his winning mentality."
One of the most impressive midfielders in last season's Serie A campaign, the 25-year-old is ready to follow the steps of many legendary midfielders who featured for the Rossoneri in the past.
"When I was a kid I loved to watch creative midfielders, the so-called number 10s," added the midfielder.
"Rui Costa? I liked him very much but Milan has a long history of very good number 10s.
"They won all there was to win at the club.
"I arrived last week, I need time to settle down, to understand the team.
"I can play as an attacking midfielder but also on the wing.
"At Atalanta I often played on the wing in a 4-4-2 formation. In a 4-3-3 formation I can play behind the strikers or on the wing.
"But I'm physically fit and available for the coach."
