Edin Dzeko surprised everyone by snubbing Inter and signing a new Roma contract. “He cannot wait for Mauro Icardi’s decision and he is loved here,” said his agent.
The striker’s deal was due to expire at the end of the season, but the Giallorossi would not sell for under €20m and eventually the Icardi refusal to join Roma or accept Napoli proved pivotal.
Edin Dzeko surprised everyone by snubbing Inter and signing a new Roma contract. “He cannot wait for Mauro Icardi’s decision and he is loved here,” said his agent.
The striker’s deal was due to expire at the end of the season, but the Giallorossi would not sell for under €20m and eventually the Icardi refusal to join Roma or accept Napoli proved pivotal.
“He has Roma in his heart and so does his family,” agent Silvano Martina told Tele Radio Stereo.
“A player with Edin’s history cannot wait for someone else’s decision, for example Icardi. We were chatting and said to ourselves: ‘You know, you are loved here.’
“It’s true, some fans were insulting, but the club holds him in great esteem. Over the last four days, we started talks for a renewal and last night signed the paperwork.
“Of course, seeing his teammates, the Coach, club and fans all asking for a renewal did influence his decision a great deal. Feeling important at a big club like Roma, that makes it easy to sit down and reach an agreement for an extension.
“When I sent a message to (Roma director Gianluca) Petrachi opening the door to talks, he was the happiest man in the world. The message I sent to him was ‘I have something that might interest you.’ He didn’t reply immediately, so I wrote again that night: ‘So are you not curious?’
“Petrachi did write back: ‘I am only interested if it’s a new Dzeko contract.’ I replied: ‘Well then, you’re in luck.’ And we sorted the renewal out very quickly.
“Roma wanted this, but they had also understood that after many years, Edin was feeling the need for a new experience and above all one in the Champions League.
“After six weeks in which nothing was happening, we thought about a new contract and did it very quickly. He signed with great joy and enthusiasm.”