Brighton boss Roberto de Zerbi admits he was close to joining Olympique Marseille.

De Zerbi and Brighton meet Marseille in the Europa League tonight.

The Italian said: "Yes it's true. There was an opportunity to come here and for me it was a dream solution, but we did not agree with the club.

"I was sorry for that because the stadium and the supporters had been a big motivational factor for me.

"But now it was even better for me personally that I found another club, with a big arena, and I have a fantastic experience in Brighton right now."