Enrico Preziosi has confirmed that Genoa are close to signing Empoli midfielder Rade Krunic, Juventus’ Stefano Sturaro and Chapecoense goalkeeper Jandrei.
Enrico Preziosi has confirmed that Genoa are close to signing Empoli midfielder Rade Krunic, Juventus’ Stefano Sturaro and Chapecoense goalkeeper Jandrei.
Sturaro seems set to re-join his former club after an Achilles injury ruined his loan spell at Sporting CP, while Genoa have been linked with Krunic since last summer and Jandrei reportedly underwent a medical a few weeks ago.
“We need Piatek, Kouame and Romero and they won’t leave until at least June,” the President told Il Secolo XIX.
“There’s been a lot of talk until now, but no offers have arrived and, barring Pavoletti, we’ve hardly done any business with Napoli. We’re not in any rush.
“We’ve made an offer for Krunic. He’s a player we really like and although Empoli want a lot for him, we’re talking.
“Sturaro? There’s a good chance that he’ll come back. He’s an idea of ours and I’m convinced that he’ll come in.
“He’ll set us back a bit, but he’s an investment with the future in mind. He won’t be back for a couple of months as his Achilles tendon is bothering him, but he wants to bounce back with us.
“Jandrei is one of the best goalkeepers in Brazil and we decided to invest in him because Inter can buy back Radu, so we must not let ourselves be caught unprepared.
“We’ll see if we sign a full-back. Lazovic has done well so we’re weighing things us. Barreca could come in, but he’s not the only option we’re looking at.”
Preziosi then reiterated it was a ‘mistake’ to keep Davide Ballardini on, despite the Coach guiding Genoa to four wins from the opening seven rounds of the season, and backed Cesare Prandelli to ‘start a new cycle’.
“We’ve ended the first round with 20 points and given what happened, it could’ve been worse,” he added.
“The first mistake was to keep Ballardini. It was a decision I wasn’t convinced by. I took it with the aim of keeping a bit of peace with the fans, while giving him a strong team to field.
“We made mistakes on the market and then with Juric. The truth is that I didn’t feel calm with Ballardini or Juric, but with Prandelli it’s totally different.
“He understands football and has always tried to achieve results by focusing on the game. He gives me great confidence and we can start a new cycle with him.”