Aleksandar Pavlovic has addressed the Manchester City interest that made him a priority target at the Etihad this summer, and his reasoning is hard to argue with.
The Bayern Munich midfielder was the man City's board wanted to fill the void left by Rodri's departure to Barcelona. Sky Germany reported last week that the 22-year-old sat at the top of the club's shortlist. It didn't happen. City turned to Chelsea's Enzo Fernandez instead.
Pavlovic has now explained why the move never materialised. "First of all, it's an honour when a top club like City comes calling," he said. "But I grew up here in Munich. I've spent my whole life here so far. I've always played football for FC Bayern. My family and friends live here. That's why the decision wasn't difficult."
Home, it turns out, is where the heart is — and where the contract apparently stays.
There is a neat symmetry to the whole affair. Pavlovic spent last season as Vincent Kompany's midfield anchor, making 44 appearances in all competitions. When Rodri left for Catalonia, City needed someone to do the same job in a different shirt.
Pavlovic, for his part, is happy to be mentioned in the same breath as the man he might have replaced. "Everyone knows what a world-class defensive midfielder Rodri is," he said. "He didn't win the Ballon d'Or for nothing. Naturally, it's an honour to be compared to a player like him. I take that as motivation to achieve my goal."
That goal, he says, is to "keep improving and establish myself among the world's elite."
City have moved on. Fernandez has slotted in fantastically as part of a midfield that also includes fellow £100 million-plus acquisition Elliot Anderson, with Ayyoub Bouadddi working patiently as understudy to the pair. The early returns are promising: City sit top of the Premier League, fresh from a 0-3 win over Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday in which Anderson delivered another Player of the Match performance.
Pavlovic may have chosen the comfort of Munich. City, on this evidence, have found their own answer.