Cagliari players free to go, says club president

Cagliari president Massimo Cellino has sensationally paved the way for all of the club’s star players to leave.

Frustrated by ongoing stadium issues, Cellino launched into a furious rant following Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Napoli.

Cagliari returned to the Stadio Sant’Elia in October after previously being forced to stage games in Trieste on Italy’s mainland, but the ground is still undergoing reconstruction work to address safety concerns and only holds 5,000 fans.

Cellino is therefore prepared to let the likes of Radja Nainggolan, the highly-rated Belgian midfielder who has been linked with a host of leading clubs, move on.

“Nainggolan will definitely go. Not even in January, he can go tomorrow,” Cellino told reporters.

“He has six or seven clubs looking for him and I can’t keep hold of him again.

“It’s not an issue of money, as even if they give me less than his price-tag, he’ll still go. If he doesn’t want to go, I’ll send him away.

“We play in a stadium worthy of Serie C. The players had to travel all around Italy for two years because we weren’t allowed a home stadium. I can’t keep anyone in these conditions.

“These players have done too much and for me to keep them here would be an injustice.

“From tomorrow anyone who wants to leave Cagliari is free to do so. Those who remain do so only if they want to and that’s their problem. I wouldn’t stay in this situation.

“Does that apply to Davide Astori too? It applies to everyone, I don’t rule anybody out.”