Richards was linked with a move away from City during the last transfer window following the summer arrival of Jerome Boateng.
The 22-year-old admits all the speculation and the influx of new players at big-spending City affected his mind.
"Sometimes I was going into games and my mind wasn't right," said Richards
"I was thinking about things too much. I was distracted by all the players coming in and I was getting linked with Spurs and Liverpool.
"My mates start asking you 'what's happening, are you staying? Is the club selling you?' I felt a bit disenchanted by that.
"I wanted to stay at City and prove myself and be part of the future here and it can play on the mind."
"But I was trying a bit too hard and when there was talk about me going to Liverpool I spoke to some people.
"They said, 'It's never going to happen. You are wanted here'. That was a massive thing for me to hear."
Richards, who has come through the youth ranks at City, admits he wants to stay at the club on a long-term basis and emulate the success of the likes of Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Gary Neville at bitter rivals Manchester United.
"I've been here since I was 15 and because of the ambitions of the club and the financial backing there's no reason I can't stay for a long time and achieve what I want to at City," added Richards.
"When you look at Man United, at Giggs, Scholes and Neville, they've been there from a young age and every year they fight for their place and they keep winning things.
"I'd love to do that at City. I'd love to be here for 20 years, win every trophy and be considered a City legend - just like they're all United legends. I love Manchester and love this club."
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