Bayern Munich blocked Xherdan Shaqiri's transfer to Liverpool in the summer of 2014, the Stoke City player has said.
Shaqiri, 25, joined Bayern from Basel in 2012 and in his first season at the club under Jupp Heynckes won the Treble.
However, the Switzerland international struggled for playing time in his second campaign under new boss Pep Guardiola and had hoped to move to Anfield following the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
"That was my wish. I had offers from Liverpool and Atletico Madrid," Shaqiri told spox.com. "I opted for Liverpool. [Then-manager] Brendan Rodgers contacted me a few times during the World Cup. But Bayern blocked my move.
"There were several talks and it got loud a few times. Those responsible at Bayern believed my situation would change, it didn't, and we were right."
Shaqiri left the Allianz Arena only six months after the World Cup after making just four more starts under Guardiola, joining Inter Milan in January 2015.
Inter, however, failed to qualify for European competition that season and Shaqiri signed for Stoke that summer.
"To be honest, Inter's infrastructure is a disgrace. That such a renowned club can't find a way to invest into the infrastructure is just disappointing," Shaqiri said. "It's just more professional in England in terms of diet, regeneration, performance analysis and diverse training sessions."
Despite signing for a midtable side in the Premier League in the summer of 2015 instead of joining an aspiring Liverpool team the previous year, Shaqiri has no regrets about where he has ended up and believes he did not take a step back in his career.
"I don't care about that. Only people not looking at the bigger picture say that," he said. "I wanted to take a step away from the spotlight. Stoke and Mark Hughes already wanted me when I joined Inter. I had the feeling it would be the best fit. Hughes is a gentleman like Heynckes, who can make an unpleasant decision if needed."