Cesc Fabregas has claimed that Barcelona were reluctant to sell him, with president Josep Maria Bartomeu initially trying to block his £30 move to Chelsea.
Barca took the unusual step of releasing a statement saying that there had been a "downward trend" in Fabregas's performances since he moved to the Nou Camp from Arsenal in 2011, but the 27-year-old insists that it was him that wanted to leave.
"I asked Barcelona to find a way for me to leave the club. The president tried to stop the sale, but I already had my mind made up," he told Cadena Cope.
"At the time, I spoke with [sporting director] Andoni Zubizarreta and the president [Josep Maria Bartomeu] and I told them I wanted to leave.
"Honestly, it all went really smoothly. I'm not leaving for any specific reason, if not for a multitude of different things, my own errors and that’s it.
"If I didn't think that I'd be happy at Chelsea, I would've never made this decision. Above all, I want to be happy both professionally and personally.
"[Chelsea have] great players - young and talented - and building a great team with new signings. I have no doubt I'll be happy, I lived in London for eight years, I have friends [and] family there."
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