Monchi: 'Nainggolan won't leave'

By Football Italia staff

Roma director of sport Monchi assures “the time of sales is over. Radja Nainggolan will stay and now we build a team with options.”

The former Sevilla transfer guru was appointed this summer and his first actions were to sell Mohamed Salah (Liverpool), Leandro Paredes (Zenit) and imminently Antonio Rudiger (Chelsea).

“Nainggolan will definitely remain at Roma,” said Monchi during today’s Press conference.

“The time of sales of important players is over. Now we build a team with options that the market provides.”

However, the director confessed things were not going well for Sassuolo striker Gregoire Defrel.

“We’re a long way off. We are trying for a player with a similar profile to ours, but he is not the only option. Yesterday we had a meeting with Sassuolo, but we want to pay the right price. We have no intention of paying over the odds for a player.”

Monchi was also asked if Kostas Manolas would be leaving, after he rejected a Zenit move.

“I will always say in every circumstance what is in the interests of Roma, regardless of criticism or how it make be interpreted, We want one more centre-back, without anyone else leaving.

“A team is built not on July 1, but at the end of August. Once the transfer window closes, we’ll have a very good squad. We are building a team capable of fighting and being competitive.

“One of the objectives we are working on is a winger and we’ll try to get that done as quickly as possible. I prefer to wait and bring in the player I really want rather than to act hastily.”

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