Premier League duo West Ham United and Everton reportedly attempted to sign defender David Luiz during the summer, according to a report.
The 34-year-old left Arsenal in July when his contract expired and eventually decided to return to Brazil, signing a deal with Flamengo until December 2022.
However, according to Brazilian news outlet Globo, several clubs across the world were interested in signing Luiz this summer including West Ham, Everton, Real Madrid, Benfica, Marseille, Lille, Lazio and Al-Rayyan.
Luiz decided to join Flamengo as he was keen to compete for the Brasileiro title as well as challenge for the Copa Libertadores in the latter years of his career.
Former Everton boss Carlo Ancelotti, who worked with Luiz when he was at Chelsea, was interested in the defender when in charge at Goodison Park, but even after his departure the Toffees remained interested.
West Ham, meanwhile, considered Luiz as a short-term option this summer, but instead opted to sign Kurt Zouma from Chelsea for a fee worth around £25m.
Luiz, who has won the league title in three different European countries, has made 57 international appearances for Brazil, and remains in contention for a call-up for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Oliver Thomas
