Newcastle United insist they had no option but to sell Yohan Cabaye to PSG last month.
The minutes of Monday's Fans Forum Meeting were revealed on Wednesday night, with the sale of the Frenchman high on the agenda.
Directors Lee Charnley and John Irving were among club officials who faced a wide variety of questions from the panel, which was made up of various groups.
Asked if the club could simply have told Cabaye to stay, the minutes read: "The board repeated that the player was adamant he wanted to leave. The board also explained that the player could not be sure the opportunity to join PSG would be available at a later date and he therefore wanted to take it.
"The club's preference was to keep the player and for him to remain at the club long term."
