“I was offered a new contract and I had a long think about it. I was offered more money at City but it’s not about the money. It’s about playing football now.” He added: “It was so, so hard to leave and it was an emotional day for me.” Despite Fiorentina negotiating a deal to sign Richards permanently next summer, the full-back admits he is still hopeful of making a return to City. “I’ve been at City for so long and it is my club,” Richards said. “Hopefully, in the future, I’ll be back in some capacity because they are a club close to my heart.”