John Terry has said he used transfer interest from Manchester City to wrangle a better contract out of Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich.
City had a formal bid for Terry rejected in the summer of 2009 as they ramped up their spending, only for the Chelsea captain to sign a new five-year deal at Stamford Bridge worth a reported £150,000-a-week.
The contract made the defender one of the highest earners at Chelsea and he has said that while he never intended to leave, City's interest strengthened his hand over the new deal.
Asked during an appearance on ITV panel show "Play to the Whistle" if he had ever seriously considered moving, Terry said: "No, never. I met Roman at the time and told him I wanted to stay.
"Manchester City had made an offer. What it does do is it gives you bargaining power to go in and renegotiate a contract."
Terry became embroiled in a more public contract standoff after telling reporters in January 2016 that he was resigned to leaving Stamford Bridge, having been informed that no new deal was on the table.
Chelsea subsequently insisted that "channels of dialogue" would remain open with their captain and, after months of speculation and supporter pressure, the Blues offered Terry a one-year contract extension in the final week of last season.
The 36-year-old is again set to become a free agent at the end of this season, and it is not yet clear whether Chelsea will offer him a new playing deal.
He has lost his starting place since Antonio Conte's decision to switch to a 3-4-3 formation in late September, making just one Premier League appearance