Diego Godin Confirms Atletico Madrid Exit & Reveals Reasons Behind Man Utd Snub Ahead of Inter Move

​Atletico Madrid captain Diego Godin has confirmed that he will leave the club on a free this summer, with his mooted move to Inter expected to be completed in the coming days.

Godin has been at Atletico since joining from Villarreal for around €10.8m in 2010, and has gone on to make 387 appearances for Los Rojiblancos, collecting an admirable 27 goals, including the opening score of the 2014 Champions League final and the La Liga title-sealing header against Barcelona in the same year. 

As relayed by Italian football journalist Fabrizio Romano on ​Twitter, the Uruguayan revealed in a scheduled press conference that he was, as expected, set to depart the club this summer. 

Speaking through tears, the centre back said: "I'm going to leave Atlético Madrid, these are my last days here. Thanks to everyone, it has been my family."

It has long been mooted that the 33-year-old would sign for Inter at the summation of his contract in the Spanish capital, and according to Romano, this move will be completed in the next few days, with the player already signing his contract with the ​Nerazzurri. 

The defender was heavily linked with ​Manchester United last summer, as Jose Mourinho sought to bolster his faltering rearguard, and he revealed that he chose to reject the Red Devils out of a desire to play out one more season with Diego Simeone's side, but that the time has now come to move on. 

As quoted during by Romano, he explained: "I refused Manchester United bid one year ago because I decided to stay at ​Atletico Madrid. Now - one year later - it's time to go."

According to Spanish media outlet Cadena Cope (via ​Sempreinter) Godin turned down a whopping €7m-a-year deal that would've kept him at Atletico for the next two seasons in favour of joining the 2010 Champions League winners, where his salary is reported to be around €6.7m. 

As quoted by the Europa League's official Twitter page, the two-time winner of the competition explained: "The most beautiful phase of my career and my life comes to an end. I'm proud to have been a part of this club's history."