Thursday 17 August 2017 23:28, UK
Gylfi Sigurdsson told Swansea he wanted to leave the club at the end of last season, Paul Clement has revealed.
The 27-year old finalised a £45m move to Everton on Wednesday after three years at the Liberty Stadium.
Sigurdsson scored 27 goals in 106 Premier League appearances for the club, and the Swans head coach Clement confirmed he tried to persuade him to stay though his decision was already made.
"I made it clear to Gylfi at the end of last season and conversations I had via texts with him over the summer that I would like him to stay," Clement said.
"His view was that he would like the opportunity to potentially embark on another challenge.
"I was aware of that from the end of last season. The conversations were open and frank, but you still hope there might be a change of mind."
The Iceland international returned to pre-season training earlier this summer, playing in a friendly against Barnsley on July 12, but opted not to travel with the squad on their tour of America.
According to Clement, Sigurdsson was aware of Everton's interest and chose to pursue a possible move.
"I said to Gylfi my opinion was that he should still come to America," he added.
"It could have potentially fallen through. He was confident it wouldn't and he decided to stay.
"It has gone on longer than we would have liked, but sometimes these deals are complicated."
Despite the player taking no part in Swansea's pre-season tour, he continued to train alongside the team upon their return; a scenario the head coach acknowledges was not ideal but proves his professionalism as a footballer.
"It was probably more awkward for him than me when he came back and trained with us," Clement said.
"He continued to train with us and he was one of the hardest working players in the group, even during that period.
"It is disappointing, but we were realistic that a club investing who are above us means you can lose them."
