Carlos Bacca has revealed that he turned down a move to West Ham United as he wants to power AC Milan back into Europe.

The Colombia international, who scored a hat-trick in AC Milan’s season opener against Torino yesterday, a match which the Rossoneri won 3-2, had been heavily linked with a move to West Ham in the summer.




The Hammers even agreed on a €30m deal with AC Milan for Bacca, but the striker rejected the move to the Olympic Stadium from the San Siro.

Bacca managed 18 goals in 38 league games last season, but his efforts were not enough for AC Milan to qualify for Europe as the Italian giants finished just seventh in  Serie A.
 


And the 29-year-old, who joined AC Milan from Sevilla in 2015, explained that his desire to play European football with his present employers prompted him to snub a move to West Ham.

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“When I received West Ham’s offer, I consulted with my family and I decided to stay”, he was quoted as saying by Italian daily Gazzetta dello Sport.

“I stayed because I want to take AC Milan to Europe and I will defend the shirt with pride.”

Bacca, who has 33 caps and 13 goals for Colombia to his name, is contracted with AC Milan until 2019.