Liverpool target Alex Teixeira was asked to stay at Shakhtar Donetsk until the summer, only for Jiangsu Suning to swoop in for the Brazilian at the last minute.
That's according to Shakhtar boss Mircea Lucescu, who has explained the timeline of events to the Ukrainian club's official site.
"After negotiations with Liverpool I asked Alex to stay at Shakhtar till the end of the season to help us win the championship,"
Lucescu explained, adding that at the time there was no interest from any other club.
This is despite the player himself
making it clear he wanted a move to Anfield in the January transfer window.
Lucescu doesn't expect Teixeira to stay in China for more than two or three years, but appreciates the amount offered by Jiangsu was a sum "neither Shakhtar, nor the player could refuse".
"From a financial point of view, this transfer will help Alex Teixeira provide for his family for generations to come," Lucescu added.
"So when Alex got an offer from China, I told him to take this opportunity, show a good game and then return to Europe."
