Paris Saint-Germain have confirmed the signing of Chelsea defender Alex for a reported fee of six million euros.
After completing a medical in the French capital on Friday morning, the Brazilian defender was officially presented to the media at a press conference later in the afternoon, and he explained the reasons behind his departure from Stamford Bridge.
“Basically, I had not played much in the last two months and I wanted to leave Chelsea,” Alex told reporters.
“Finally, we began to negotiate with PSG and everything went very well.”
“I know the fame of the club, so I wanted to come. And I spent two years with (PSG coach) Carlo Ancelotti at Chelsea. I wanted to play again with him.”
Former Blues boss Ancelotti had stated earlier in the day that he was thrilled with having been reunited with the 29-year-old centre-back.
“It was a good opportunity because of his price and his desire to come to PSG,” the Italian coach explained.
“I know him very well. He’s a fantastic player and a great guy. He has extensive experience as he played in the Dutch league, English league, the Brazil national team and many Champions League matches.”
“He’s a great professional and I think he will have a great season.”
The Premier League outfit originally signed Alex from Santos but he spent three years on loan at PSV Eindhoven before finally arriving at Stamford Bridge in 2007.
He proved a reliable performer for Chelsea but fell out of favour at Stamford Bridge following the arrival of Andre Villas-Boas as manager last summer.
