Sergio Ramos insisted he "never wanted to leave Real Madrid" and claimed he would have accepted the club's offer of a one-year contract extension, but said it had expired.
Madrid announced on Wednesday that 35-year-old captain Ramos will leave when his deal expires at the end of this month.
Defenders burst into tears during a farewell ceremony on Thursday - attended by club president Florentino Perez, board members, club staff and Ramos' family - at the Real Madrid City training complex.
"I've never wanted to leave Real Madrid, I've always wanted to be here," Ramos said. "In the last few months the club offered me a year with a pay cut. I want to highlight that money has never been a problem, the president knows this.
"It was not a financial problem. They offered me a year, I want two. I wanted peace and continuity for my family... In the latest negotiations, I accepted the offer with a pay cut, and I Was told there was no longer an offer. I was told that despite giving the offer an OK, it had an expiration date and I didn't know... it surprised me."
Ramos declined to go into details of talks with Perez over a new deal that was pulled last season without a deal.
"Those are private meetings that I want to keep private for the honor of the club, the president and myself," he said. “But it is true that I was informed through my agent only a week ago that the offer had expired without us knowing.
"Nobody gave us an ultimatum... I thought they were likely to accept the last offer they put on the table... Those are questions I can't answer. The club has its own priorities. "
Ramos described his relationship with Perez as "extraordinary" and said he was "forever grateful."
"I will focus on the affection and last hug he gave me today," he said. "I'm not someone who holds resentment. Misunderstandings can live in the past, I'll focus on the good things."
"Today is not an easy day," Perez said earlier. "You have been very special to me and we have fought and fought together for most of Real Madrid's recent history. Above all, I want you to be happy wherever you are ... We believe that you Be a great ambassador for Real Madrid as a legend will always be."
🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆@SergioRamos | #GraciasSergio pic.twitter.com/bx70SPKU6X
— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) June 17, 2021
ESPN has reported that Manchester City are prime contenders to sign Ramos and are considering a two-year contract offer, although several other clubs are also interested.
Ramos said, 'I have not thought about any team at the moment. "It's true that since January, when I was free and in the market for contractual reasons, we've had calls from interested clubs to my brother, but I never thought of leaving. For me the option."
He continued: "Sevilla is the second club in my heart, but right now I am not considering that option and Sevilla is not even considering it. For Barca, it is a rotund number. Ramos in a Barca shirt. Impossible to see."
The centre-back is widely recognized as one of Real Madrid's most influential players, having made 671 appearances and scoring 101 goals since signing from Sevilla in 2005 at the age of 19.
He scored one of the most important goals in the club's history – a 93rd-minute equalizer in the 2014 Champions League final against Atletico Madrid – and became Real captain after the departure of Iker Casillas in 2015.
Ramos has won a total of 22 trophies with Real Madrid, including four Champions League titles, five La Liga titles and two Copas del Rey. He was also a member of Spain's winning teams at Euro 2008, 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012.
An injury-ridden 2020-21 season - 21 Real Madrid appearances in all competitions, just one of them coming in 2021 - saw him dropped from Spain's Euro 2020 squad by coach Luis Enrique.