Manchester United and Chelsea were legitimate contenders in the Pedro Rodriguez race.

Pedro tallied 99 goals for Barcelona but has been contemplating on his future after losing his spot to Luis Suarez last season.

The forward has been dreaming of a Premier League debut for quite some time now, with the Red Devils being the front runners in making his dream a reality.

The Spanish international had even agreed, on a verbal capacity, to sign with the Old Trafford squad.

However, the 28-year-old had a sudden change of heart, which forced Man-U to discontinue their bid for him, paving the way for Chelsea to sign him instead.

According to Mirror, Pedro joined Chelsea over the weekend for £21 million. He thought the Blues were "the team that showed the most interest" in him.

Pedro was quick to repay the club with a goal and an assist on his debut against West Bromwich Albion on Sunday afternoon. Chelsea won the match 3-2.

He then flew back to Spain on Monday to hold a farewell press conference with his former team.

"Of course I would have liked to have stayed at Barca and retire here... I was really happy when I signed that contract [a four year contract extension with Barca last June]. But then I saw that my situation would not change... This offer arrived and it gave me everything I needed to take a decision. I wanted to leave to have more playing time," Pedro told the Spanish media as reported by Sky Sports.

Pedro also confirmed reports that other Premier League clubs had interest in him as well

"I had offers from other English clubs - Manchester United, City and Chelsea, who were the club that more rapidly resolved my transfer and the one that showed more interest in me," he continued.

A Spanish outfit had a more concrete explanation though on why Pedro and Barcelona had a falling out with Man-U.

According to Marca via Daily Express, Jose Mourinho and company offered more upfront cash while United's vice chairman Ed Woodward demanded for more assets to go along with Pedro.

What ultimately lured the Spanish international to Chelsea, though, was the club's winning tradition and Pedro's former Barca pal Cesc Fabregas.

"I'm very happy to be at Chelsea because it's a club that, like Barca, are fighting for titles. But I haven't gone to Chelsea just to work under (manager Jose) Mourinho, but also because London attracts me as a city and I have friends at Chelsea. Moreover, English football is exciting and very attractive," the 28-year old forward said.