Saint-Etienne defender Loic Perrin has revealed his agent had "serious contact" with Arsenal during the transfer window, but acknowledges he was not the Gunners' first-choice.
Perrin, 29, was strongly linked with a move to Arsenal during the January transfer window with Arsene Wenger seeking to reinforce his back line.
Wenger eventually opted to bring in Gabriel Paulista from Villarreal, but Perrin told But! that his representative, David Venditelli, had held talks with the Premier League club.
"There was serious contact through my agent," he said. "I think I was on the shortlist, but not right at the top, apparently. A transfer during the winter window is always difficult."
The Saint-Etienne captain added: "It's difficult to turn down Arsenal. I have always said that if I were to quit Saint-Etienne one day, it would be for a bigger club, to play in the Champions League. A club like Arsenal, I don't think there are a lot of Ligue 1 players who would turn them down."
Perrin was recently called up by France coach Didier Deschamps, and was named as one of seven reserves for the 2014 World Cup squad.