Manchester City fullback Benjamin Mendy has revealed turning down Sunderland earlier in his career.

The Frenchman revealed he held talks with Sunderland during his time at Le Havre but decided it wasn't the right move for him.

He told FourFourTwo: “At Le Havre, there was a big divide: some people liked PSG and others liked Marseille, when we watched Le Classique together, you'd have two sides of the room.

“But one day, I went to the Stade Velodrome. I saw the feelings, the vibes, the atmosphere and said to myself, 'This is where I want to play'. I signed a year later.

“It's true that I met Sunderland and we had talks, but in my head I really wanted to do something good in France before I travelled abroad. I didn't want to leave French football like that, through the small door. I wanted to do something big, and when that was done I could go to England. It's why I preferred to go to Monaco for another challenge instead of English teams after that."