Roberto Mancini claims ‘it was all done’ for Daniele De Rossi to join Manchester City, but the Roma midfielder ‘pulled out at the last minute’.
Mancini was City’s Coach between 2009 and 2013, winning a Premier League title with a squad that contained the likes of Mario Balotelli and Aleksandar Kolarov, but the Italy CT confessed De Rossi was the one that got away.
“We spent one whole night in Rome talking,” he told Il Messaggero.
Roberto Mancini claims ‘it was all done’ for Daniele De Rossi to join Manchester City, but the Roma midfielder ‘pulled out at the last minute’.
Mancini was City’s Coach between 2009 and 2013, winning a Premier League title with a squad that contained the likes of Mario Balotelli and Aleksandar Kolarov, but the Italy CT confessed De Rossi was the one that got away.
“We spent one whole night in Rome talking,” he told Il Messaggero.
“It was all done, but he pulled out at the last minute. He called me and told me: ‘I can’t go through with it.’
“I was hurt and angry. It happened such a long time ago, when Daniele was in the middle of his career.
“He would’ve enjoyed himself. I considered him to be a crucial player.”