Marchisio: 'No Serie A or Suning'

By Football Italia staff

Claudio Marchisio ruled out Brescia or any Italian club other than Juventus, while he turned down Jiangsu Suning “because they are too close to Inter.”

The midfielder is a free agent after his brief spell with Zenit St Petersburg and still recovering from knee surgery.

“It’s a different summer for me, the first time I haven’t been participating in pre-season training with any team,” confessed Marchisio to Sky Sport Italia.

“I need a little more time for rehabilitation work, but I’m nearly there and manage to recharge my batteries better by myself than in a group dynamic.

“I knew that this operation would cost me a lot of time, so it was better for everyone that we terminate the Zenit contract early. I wish the team and fans all the best for this new season.”

There were reports Marchisio could join Mario Balotelli at Brescia, while Chinese club Jiangsu Suning were also mentioned as options.

“I certainly want to continue playing. There was interest from Suning, but I decided not to pursue it any further, partly because they are too close to Inter and that certainly affected my decision not to accept their offer.

“I received many proposals from clubs and also messages from players asking me to join them, but I want to stick to my principles and promises. I said that I’d never wear another Italian jersey after Juventus and that will not change.

“If I do accept a new role, it’ll be with a club outside of Italy. I don’t just look at the offer on the table or the city, but the overall project.

“At the same time, I haven’t thought about a return to Juventus. I made my decision a year ago and I won’t go back on it, as it was the right time to move on.”

Jiangsu Suning and Inter are both owned by the Suning Group, so the two clubs regularly exchange players.

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