January 28, (THEWILL) – Roma Coach, Jose Mourinho, has suggested that “unfortunately” club winger, Nicolo Zaniolo, is likely to remain at the club after the player reportedly failed to agree to terms on a move to Bournemouth.
The Italy international had been linked with several teams since the start of January, with Tottenham Hotspur appearing to be his most likely destination. However, after Spurs signed Arnaut Danjuma, on loan from Villarreal, Bournemouth emerged as frontrunners for Zaniolo’s signature.
Mourinho confirmed that Zaniolo asked to leave and media reports indicated that Roma and Bournemouth had reached an agreement on a deal worth an initial £26.3 million (€30m). However, Zaniolo’s reluctance to join the Cherries has led Mourinho to expect the player to stay, though he expressed frustration at the player’s hesitance to leave despite wanting out.
Mourinho said: “If a player always tells everyone he doesn’t want to wear the Roma shirt, I have to say ‘unfortunately’. The ideal situation is that the player is happy. I said that I expected him to stay, but today I add ‘unfortunately’.
“Today, I say again that Zaniolo won’t be available, that we focus on the match and that my focus is on the players who will be there. It’s not the case with Zaniolo.”
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
