Lille's most expensive ever purchase is speaking about the reasons for rejecting bigger clubs in their favour.
The French club secured Jonathan David from Gent on a move that will cost them roughly 30 million euros.
David was linked with a number of Premier League clubs, including Manchester United, Arsenal and Leicester City.
The 20-year-old Canadian is highly rated, having netted 30 goals in 60 games in the past two years in Belgium.
"Everyone knows the Premier League is a high-quality league," David told France Bleu Nord.
"But my choice was dictated by the fact that above all, I wanted to be sure of playing.
"My choice was made quite early.
"But I understand that it took a little while to finalise between the two clubs."