Sassuolo director Giovanni Carnevali reveals Gregoire Defrel scuppered a transfer to Granada, while the club refused to sell Domenico Berardi and Armand Laurienté.
The transfer window has now closed in Italy, so while clubs can still sell or even sign free agents, they can no longer bring in reinforcements.
The Neroverdi were quite active in the January window, bringing in Josh Doig from Verona and signing Marash Kumbulla on loan from Roma.
“We brought in two very good players. Kumbulla had been our target since his time at Verona and can give the defence a big hand, while Doig has an important future ahead of him,” Carnevali told Sky Sport Italia.
“We think that we have improved the defence, then of course the results on the pitch will have their say.”
Carnevali reveals it could’ve been a more eventful January window for Sassuolo, but some other deals were blocked.
“Defrel refused to join Granada, it was all agreed. We put a stop to offers not just for Berardi, but also from abroad for Laurienté.
“Considering our position in the table, it was not the right moment to sell big players. If there are important offers over the summer, then we will see.”
Berardi had been heavily linked with a January switch to Juventus.
#Calciomercato | @SassuoloUS, Carnevali: "Defrel ha rifiutato il Granada. Berardi e Laurienté hanno ricevuto offerte, ma le abbiamo stoppate"https://t.co/YBCIw1cV2I
— Gianluca Di Marzio (@DiMarzio) February 1, 2024