JOSE MOURINHO has confirmed that “unfortunately” he expects Nicolo Zaniolo to stay at Roma this month.
The 23-year-old has made it clear he wants to leave the club – but on Friday he reportedly snubbed a move to Bournemouth.
The Cherries were claimed to be willing to pay around £26million to sign the playmaker.
But Sky Sports Italia claim Zaniolo refused to take part in negotiations with the Premier League club, leaving Roma furious.
He now seems set to stay at the club this month, despite making it clear he wants to leave, with Tottenham and AC Milan reportedly not willing to match Bournemouth’s offer.
And Mourinho has spoken for the first time since the latest twist in the saga.
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When asked how he would handle the situation, he said: “Zaniolo has been saying for a month that he wants to leave. Unfortunately, it looks like I was right.”
The former Chelsea, Manchester United and Spurs boss added: “I say unfortunately, because the player has been saying for a month that he wants to leave.
“If a player tells everyone he no longer wants to wear the Roma jersey, I have to say unfortunately.
“When a player tells you, the club and his team-mates: ‘I don’t want to wear the Roma jersey, I don’t want to play, I don’t want to go back to training…’ I have to say unfortunately.
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“The ideal situation is for the player to be happy.
“I said that I expected him to stay, but as things stand today, I have to add unfortunately to that sentence.”
Zaniolo will not be part of the squad for Sunday’s huge meeting with bitter rivals Napoli.
Mourinho and Co are fifth in the Serie A table going into the game with the league leaders.
Zaniolo has played 128 times for Roma, and has been capped 11 times by Italy.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
