Raphael Varane has revealed he rejected the chance to join Paris Saint-Germain in 2011 because he was not convinced by the heavyweight Ligue 1 club's "project".
The France international was one of the most sought-after youngsters at the time following an impressive season with Lens.
He will now take on his former suitors when Madrid visit Laurent Blanc's French title-holders in the Champions League at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday.
"PSG were interested in signing me, but we never entered negotiations," Varane told Le Parisien.
"The Qatari project at the club was all still a bit unclear to me. I could not see myself join PSG, because I did not know how they would develop.
"PSG did not suit me at the time and the move to Real Madrid was a logical choice."
The centre-back has made over 100 appearances in all competitions for Los Blancos over the past four seasons.
