AC Milan chief executive Adriano Galliani has revealed that Marco van Ginkel initially refused a move to the Serie A side because he wanted to stay at Chelsea.
The 21-year-old sealed a season-long loan deal with Milan on Monday.
"Van Ginkel initially resisted our advances," Galliani told La Gazzetta dello Sport. "At a certain point we set him an ultimatum, but then I realised he wouldn't join us like that and I told him that I was joking.
"It was not that he did not want to join Milan, but he is a huge talent and he thought that he could become a starter at Chelsea. However, Jose Mourinho, who is a great coach, thought that playing for Milan after eight months on the sidelines due to injury would be best for him."
The Dutch midfielder signed for the Blues from Vitesse Arnhem last year.
