Olympique Marseille chief Andoni Zubizarreta admits a past deal for Nicolas Pepe was close.
Pepe eventually left Lille for Arsenal in a club record 80m deal this summer.
But Zubizarreta revealed: "Nicolas Pp was on our list, he came to Marseille and we almost agreed.
"It could have been done, but it was finally Dimitri Payet who arrived because it was the right moment and we needed experienced players.
"These are choices that are made at a specific time."
