Romagnoli glad to stay at Milan after Chelsea interest

AC Milan defender Alessio Romagnoli insists he is happy to stay at the club, despite Chelsea trying to buy him before the closure of the transfer window.

Chelsea made a bid in excess of €35million for the centre-back but the Italian giants held firm, the Premier League side instead re-signing David Luiz from Paris Saint-Germain.

Romagnoli said interest from other clubs will spur him on to improve and he thanked Milan president Silvio Berlusconi for his faith.

“The fact Chelsea came in for me is pleasing, but I am glad I have stayed here,” Romagnoli told Mediaset.

“This pushes me on to grow even more and improve myself. I am happy to stay here.

“President Silvio Berlusconi made a big investment in me and that’s enormous.

“I am proud to have been called up to the national team, but it’s just a starting point for me. Having this many Milan players on international duty means we are doing well, so we just hope to get better results than in previous years.”

Romagnoli accepted Juventus are ahead of Milan after winning Serie A in each of the last five seasons, but the 21-year-old believes his side will be competitive this year.

“Milan are behind Juventus now, but I don’t think we are missing anything in particular,” Romagnoli said. “We just need to work together and grow as a unit.

“The new coach, Vincenzo Montella, always tells us to control the ball, so it’s up to us in defence to start the move and I have to say I don’t mind that.”