‘Lazio refused €50m Anderson bid’

By Football Italia staff

Lazio sporting director Igli Tare reveals that the club ‘refused €50m for Felipe Anderson to give consistency to our project.’

The Brazilian winger was linked with several big clubs including Manchester United last summer after an impressive season in the Aquile’s run to third place.

However, his performances have dwindled in 2015/16 along with many of his teammates and Tare admitted ‘it could’ve been a mistake not to sell anyone’.

“With a good part of the season still to play, with another important objective like the Europa League, it’s premature to put Lazio and the team on trial,” Tare said to Corriere dello Sport.

“I’m even more convinced about the project. According to our assessments and wanting to give priority to the group who reached third place, we thought of adding some young players and letting them develop in an important setting like ours.

“I watched the movements of the other clubs. It happened at Juve, Roma, Inter and Napoli. I can understand if I sell and then reinvest the same money to improve the club.

“Yes, it could’ve been a mistake not to sell anyone, but I can say that the idea to refuse €50m for Felipe Anderson (€44m plus €6m of bonuses) was because we strongly wanted to give consistency to this project.

“The top three is a possibility. Last year we showed that by focusing on clear ideas and a clear project.

“It’s true that turnover counts for a lot, but the conviction to be on the right path also counts, even at times when the results don’t arrive.

“The most important thing is to bring Lazio to that level. The Napoli side of a few years ago is a good example for me. “

Watch Serie A live in the UK on Premier Sports for just £9.99 per month including live LaLiga, Eredivisie, Scottish Cup Football and more. Visit: https://www.premiersports.com/subscribenow