Napoli striker Victor Osimhen says he made the decision which was “good for his career” after being linked with a move to Saudi Arabia in the summer.
Reports suggested the 24-year-old – valued by Napoli at £173m – would join Al-Hilal, who had already signed Wolves captain Ruben Neves and Neymar.
The Nigeria forward scored 31 goals in all competitions last season to help Napoli win the Serie A title.
“The more I said no to them, the more they increased it,” Osimhen said.
“That week was a huge decision for me to make but I put everything in God’s hands.
“It was literally like ‘wow, this is surreal’. I spoke with the people in charge and spoke about it with the club.”
Speaking on The Obi One Podcast, he added: “They never gave up until the end of their own transfer window. I said before I played the first game of the season I really don’t want to go back thinking that it was going to change my life.
“But I had to make the decision what is good for my career, as much as we play football for the money.”