Stephan El Shaarawy is happy he stayed with AC Milan.

The striker was a big money target for Manchester City this summer.

"How close was I to leaving? No, I've always been convinced of my decisions, so I never thought about changing team," he told Tuttosport.

"I have been a Milan fan since childhood, so being here is a dream come true. I would never have left, not even faced with an offer from Real Madrid. I'd have said no to any team.

"It's also true that concrete requests from the so-called 'big' clubs never really developed. I want to be here for a long time and write Milan history."