Legendary former Porto striker Rabah Madjer has revealed the backstory of how he was right on the cusp of signing for Inter in the summer of 2018 before an injury put the deal off course.

Speaking to Rome-based newspaper La Repubblica, via FCInterNews, the Algerian detailed the scenario that nearly led him to signing for the Nerazzurri, and then the reasons why the transfer never got over the line.

Madjer had established himself as a top striker in European football with his spell playing for Porto during the mid-to-late 1980s.

The Algerian won the European Cup with the Portuguese giants in 1987, scoring in a comeback win over Bayern Munich in the final.

Madjer’s form for Porto naturally attracted the transfer interest of other big European clubs, with the Nerazzurri very nearly winning the race for his signature.

The Algerian famously even posed in a Nerazzurri shirt before an injury that he had picked up changed the scenario.

“It was the Inter of Matthaeus and Brehme,” the Algerian explained.

“Trapattoni had come to Algiers, after I signed in Milan with president Pellegrini.”

“Everything was done,” Madjer went on, “a three-year contract, translated into French.”

“But Porto had loaned me to Valencia, where a serious muscle injury occurred.”

The former striker explained that “Pellegrini told me: we’ll redo your contract for a season, and if you make twenty appearances we’ll go back to the three-year contract.”

“But the new contract was only in Italian and I let it go. Too bad indeed.”