Liverpool thought they'd signed me – then I rejected Arsenal to sign for Chelsea

The former French striker has opened up about his dramatic 2014 transfer to Liverpool, which turned into a move to Chelsea

Loic Remy was on the verge of joining Liverpool after his impressive displays for Newcastle - but a failed medical saw him head south to join Chelsea instead.

As transfer deadline day approaches, fans will look back on occasions when moves were confirmed only to collapse. Blues supporters will likely be reminded of Raphinha's proposed move to Stamford Bridge in 2022 before he opted to sign for Barcelona instead.

Deciding between Premier League clubs can be challenging, as Remy discovered. The French striker had excelled during a loan spell at Newcastle from QPR, scoring 14 goals and providing three assists in 27 appearances during the 2013/14 campaign.

This introduction to England's top division saw numerous clubs circling the forward, including Liverpool, then under Brendan Rodgers' control. The Reds activated an £8.5million release clause in Remy's QPR contract and appeared destined to bring him to Anfield.

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The Frenchman even linked up with Liverpool on their pre-season tour of the United States, with the transfer almost sealed. However, the deal collapsed due to reports of a failed medical.

Then-QPR manager Harry Redknapp maintained that it was "not possible" that the "very fit" Remy had encountered problems during the mandatory health assessment. Interest in the striker didn't fade following this setback, and Chelsea ultimately secured his services despite a late hijack attempt from Arsenal.

In an interview with Ladbrokes, Remy admitted he turned down the Gunners for Chelsea because he felt the Blues were more sincere. He said: "Signing for Chelsea was the craziest move of my career, that's for sure.

"I can remember being on holiday, back in my home country, on a small island, and my agent gave me a call to tell me that Liverpool wanted to sign me. They were training in Boston for pre-season. That was fantastic news for me, so I asked him about the next steps.

"My agent told me what I needed to do and where I needed to go, but at the time, I didn't have my passport on me, so I couldn't make it to Boston.

"At the time, my agent was the same as Patrice Evra's – so Patrice's brother went to Lyon, my hometown, to get my passport, I then travelled all the way to Paris, and met Patrice's brother there, he gave me the passport and I flew straight to Boston.

"We arrived, me and my agent, and it all felt like a dream – it was happening so quickly. I met all the guys, started doing my interviews, and had a medical, but something was wrong.

"I didn't know what was wrong, but they said I just needed to wait for a couple of days. At this moment, I was a Liverpool player as far as I was concerned, because I'd done the interviews, and I still have a picture of myself on my phone, holding their scarf!

"It was a very proud moment for me, but two days later I found out that there was a problem with my medical, and the deal was off – they didn't want to take the risk, and while I was so disappointed, I accepted it and went back to London, ready to start training with QPR again."

Despite scoring just 12 goals in 47 outings and leaving Stamford Bridge three years after arriving, Remy did help Jose Mourinho's squad secure the Premier League title and League Cup during his debut campaign.

Reflecting on his Chelsea transfer and Arsenal rejection, the now-39-year-old added: "And then, Chelsea called my agent and said they wanted to sign me. They asked if I was available, which I was, and so we went to Cobham to do my medical.

"It's funny, because just before we signed, my agent had a call from Arsenal, who were asking whether I'd signed or not. "No, no, he's on his way to sign now. Tell him not to sign – we want him!

"My agent told me this, and the market was so close to closing, and so he gave me the choice between Chelsea and Arsenal. In the end, I went with Chelsea because I just thought that Arsenal should have manifested themselves long before the end of the transfer window.

"I was already at Cobham, ready to sign with Chelsea, had passed my medical, so I decided I wasn't going to change my mind. A mistake, or not? I don't think it was; at the end of the day, I won titles with Chelsea, but yes, it was a very complicated move behind the scenes!"