The former Sporting Gijon star - who netted 28 league goals last season - appeared set to become the third mega-money Real Madrid signing in a week during the close-season following the Bernabeu outfit's captures of Kaka (£56 million) and Cristiano Ronaldo (£80 million).
However, a deal failed to come to fruition.
And although Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United and Spanish treble winners Barcelona remained strongly linked with the striker's services, he eventually decided to stay at the Mestalla.
Villa, who won the Golden Boot at Euro 2008, currently leads the la Liga goal-scoring charts this season with six strikes as Los Che have made an encouraging start to the campaign, lying fifth ahead of this weekend's clash with Barcelona.
And club president Llorente has revealed that both Barca and Real made big-money bids for the goal-getter this summer, but could not reach an agreement with Valencia.
"[Real president] Florentino Perez offered €42 million and I said that we would like to have Alvaro Negredo and Esteban Granero," Llorente said in AS.
"He insisted on the €42 million and we asked for €30 million plus Negredo. There was no agreement.
"Nor with Barcelona, which also went to €42 million. And then I decided to call the press to say we would not sell because the media pressure was already very strong.
"I'm glad I made that decision, to me it made us famous."
