Italian giants Roma have revealed that they never really entered negotiations with Manchester City over the sale of star midfielder Daniele De Rossi.
The 29-year-old was heavily linked with a summer switch to Etihad, but he eventually expressed his desire to remain at Olimpico.
The talks between the two clubs were thought to have been at an advanced stage, but Roma explain that the talks never really kicked off.
“Real talks never really started and, in reality, we didn’t spend a lot of time listening to offers,” Roma chief operating officer Claudio Fenucci told Sky Sport Italia.
“There was no real conviction from us to do a deal. Before selling him we would have thought long and hard about it. We heard what their offer was, but, I repeat, negotiations didn’t begin.”
This was not the first time the Italy international was paired with the Citizens, but, once again the player remained faithful to his hometown club.
That could prove to be the right decision after all as the Giallorossi appear to be building a very good squad under the tutorship of Zdenek Zeman.
In total, Daniele De Rossi has made 283 Serie A appearances for Roma, scoring 33 goals in the process.
