Former France defender Lilian Thuram still believes he is lucky despite seeing a heart problem jeopardise the twilight of his career.  

The 36-year-old's switch from Barcelona to Paris St Germain collapsed on Friday after medical tests 24 hours earlier discovered he has an enlarged heart. 

Happier times: Italy's Luca Toni (left) is denied by Lilian Thuram

Thuram's career is hanging in the balance while more tests are carried out over the next month, but the veteran centre-back believes every cloud has a silver lining.  

'If I do have to quit football, I would have to say I have been lucky that we have discovered this problem now,' he said.

'If I can cling to something, I could say that we have discovered it at a good time.'

Thuram knows to his misfortune what could have happened if the defect had not been found.  

His brother collapsed and died on a basketball court as a result of a cardiac condition, while other members of his family have also suffered from it.  

Thuram was told as a youngster at Monaco in the early 1990s that he could get heart problems later on in his career but did not expect the defect to rear its head at this stage.  

'I knew I had this heart illness - my mother also has it and she was with me on Thursday when I took the tests,' he explained. 'When I was a young player at Monaco, people said there was something but that I was okay. 

'I thought it was a joke, because I took the tests and I was okay, but things have developed and today there is a risk. 

'I had hoped I would be lucky enough not to have what my mum and brother have.'

Thuram should find out towards the end of July whether his career can continue into an 18th year.  

PSG insist they still want to sign the defender, who quit international football with a national record 142 caps to his name following France's elimination from this month's Euro 2008.