Juventus midfielder Andrea Pirlo has claimed that he was on the verge of joining Chelsea before AC Milan pulled the plug at the last minute, according to Sky Sports.

Pirlo has been one of the best midfielders in Europe over the past decade and is still a shoe-in at Juventus and for Italy at the age of 33 with his facial hair perfectly mirroring his stylish on-field performances.

The former AC Milan playmaker has claimed that a deal was in place for him to join Chelsea before infamous owner and politician Silvio Berlusconi pulled the plug at the last minute.

Berlusconi also scuppered deals to take Pirlo to Real Madrid in 2006 and Barcelona in 2011 before he eventually joined Juventus on a free transfer in 2011.

The Italian international is happy that he remained at Milan until 2011 but is relieved to be playing in Turin now.

"I had already reached an agreement with Chelsea, but (Silvio) Berlusconi intervened and I stayed at AC Milan,” Pirlo told Voetbal Primeur

"I was also very close to a move to Real Madrid in 2006, when coach (Fabio) Capello was there. And (Pep) Guardiola approached me in 2011 to convince me to go to Barcelona, but again it was Berlusconi who put a stop to it."

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