I wanted to join Arsenal and Arsene Wenger but I was offered something they couldn't match

Former Manchester City and Swansea City striker Wilfried Bony has revealed that he came close to signing for Arsenal. The Ivorian emerged as one of the next best attacking powerhouses during his time with the Welsh club after they stunned the following their promotion from the Championship.

Bony joined the Swans from Holland after signing from Vitesse and scored 17 goals in 34 appearances during his debut season in South Wales. He added a further nine goals in 20 appearances during the first half of his second season before City landed his services during the January transfer window for a reported £25million.

He managed 11 goals in 46 games at the , winning the during that time, but opted for a move away, initially signing for Stoke City on loan before returning to Swansea on a two-and-a-half year deal in 2017.

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The 36-year-old has revealed that he wanted to join , but the money that was offered from the North West was too good to resist.

"There were three clubs interested in signing me after my first season at Swansea: Arsenal, and Manchester City," he told Ladbrokes.

"City made their offer at the last minute – I wanted to join Arsenal. But at that time, the money City put on the table was something that nobody could match, especially in terms of salary.

"When Arsene Wenger heard about the salary, he said, ‘That's too big for us! That's too big for us!’ I wanted to join , so I met him again in Swansea when we were playing against them.

"I spoke to him in the Marriott hotel, and again said that the salary would be too much for them. I knew that Swansea wanted to sell me because I started being put on the bench.

"When the time came to move, I was thinking about the African Cup and preparing myself for that. So when the opportunity to move came, it wanted it sorted quickly so that I was mentally ready for the tournament.

"I even signed for the club while I was in Abu Dhabi, where the Ivory Coast were based in preparation for the AFCON.

"It pleased me that it was clubs like City and Arsenal who wanted to sign me because of the way they played. City’s way of playing was very similar to Swansea’s, so I knew that the intensity and everything would be fine.

"I was happy about that. I only regret one thing: When I returned from the AFCON, I was tired."