Sochi striker Aleksandr Kokorin admits he regrets being blocked from joining Arsenal.

Kokorin confirmed he was close to joining Arsenal and later Andre Villas-Boas invited him to Marseille.

He said in a social media Q&A: "The most famous transfer was one to Arsenal. For loan. I really wanted to. But they (Dynamo Moscow) didn't want to let me go, because my contract was ending. And I really wanted to.

"An agent from Arsene Wenger arranged it. They wanted to see me on-loan for a year.

"Then Villas-Boas offered me to go to Marseille. Zenit played in France and the coaching staff and the leadership of the French club saw each other. They said: 'If he cannot play with you, then we will take him away'. But I could not fly out."