Serge Aurier says his treatment in the French press tarnished his reputation and dashed his dreams of joining Barcelona during the close season.
Aurier endured a troubled time with Paris Saint-Germain in Ligue 1 after a series of off-field incidents saw him banned by the club and forced to train with the reserves.
"I think my reputation made four or five big European sides afraid," he told Canal Plus.
"I was negotiating with Barcelona, very advanced negotiations. And Barcelona's people were not sure if I came here things would be different."
"It was the right choice [to leave]," he added. "After a while, I did not feel comfortable with the media.
"For me, it was never going to end. After a while, I felt like a prisoner, with a camera on my back.
"By staying in France, I would have never washed this image."
