Emotional Mamadou Sakho Explains Decision To Leave PSG For Liverpool

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New signing excited by project at Anfield.

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New Liverpool signing Mamadou Sakho has explained his reasons for leaving PSG this summer, Sky Sports reports.

The French international is a highly rated young defender, and appeared to be on the verge of leaving the Ligue 1 champions for much of the summer after failing to agree a new contract with the club.

Although Laurent Blanc was keen to keep the 23-year-old at the Parc des Princes, the club decided to cash in on his sale late on, to avoid losing him on a free transfer next summer.

Sakho then made the £18m switch to Anfield, and he explained that he wanted his old club to receive a transfer fee for him as payback for his time there.

“I achieved beautiful things at Paris that I am very proud of, so I can leave raising my head high,” he explained.

“Early in the summer I had a talk with my PSG coach and chairman. Some things were said but not necessarily with any result. But there is no problem and I feel not bitterness. It was my choice to leave. No one pushed me to the exit door.

“Why did I not leave PSG next January as free agent? I wanted to pay back PSG for what it brought me.”

He also moved to deny speculation that he sought an exit due to increased competition for places at PSG, saying he doesn’t expect an easy time getting into the starting lineup at his new club, but that the project at Liverpool and the lure of playing in the Premier League was what attracted him.

“Contrary to what I could hear, I don’t fear competition,” he said. “At Liverpool, do you believe there will be no competition in my position?

“Why Liverpool? Because the Premier League is the best league in the world, and it was the club that offered me the project that suited me the best.”

Sakho was one of several new faces at Liverpool this summer, joning the likes of Tiago Ilori, Iago Aspas, Simon Mignolet and Kolo Toure in moving to the club.

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