Sassuolo director Giovanni Carnevali confirms Inter and Roma are the only sides in real negotiations for Davide Frattesi, as ‘we have not had any contact with Milan,’ but reiterates they won’t sell for less than their valuation.
The midfielder is hot property on the market and would’ve been at the centre of a wider bidding war if he hadn’t announced that he did not wish to leave Italy at this stage in his career.
Inter remain the favourites, especially if they are able to sell Marcelo Brozovic to Al-Nassr and reinvest that sum in Frattesi.
“We knew the Brozovic situation was going on and I think that is tied to the sale of the player,” Carnevali told Sportitalia.
“We have been very clear. We know where we want to get. We don’t know if we will get there, but if we don’t, then there’s nothing to say Frattesi absolutely has to be sold.
“The key thing to note is that obviously we cannot wait for just one club. It is our duty to evaluate, understand what other opportunities there are and I think there will be other opportunities for Frattesi.”
While Milan are also interested in Frattesi and Juventus appear to have pulled out after securing Adrien Rabiot to a new contract, the dark horses to keep an eye on remain Roma.
This is because the midfielder was a product of their academy and is a lifelong supporter of the club, but also as part of the original sale to Sassuolo, the Giallorossi are owed 30 per cent of the future sell-on fee.
This effectively means they’d get a 30 per cent discount compared to other clubs if signing Frattesi back.
“Roma were the first club to approach us for Frattesi over a year ago, but we were not able to agree on a transfer fee,” confirmed Carnevali.
The two clubs have already done a deal over the last 24 hours, Sassuolo buying Roma talents Cristian Volpato and Filippo Missori for a total €10m.
“We had these negotiations over two young players who have great prospects. I think Roma are certainly one of the other clubs interested in Frattesi. Those two are probably leading the pack.
“I know people keep talking about Milan, but we have not had any contact with Milan about Frattesi.”