Gian Piero Gasperini wanted to reestablish his version concerning the aborted transfer of Manu Koné to Chelsea. Asked by La Gazzetta dello Sportthe AS Roma coach assures that he has never vetoed the departure of the French midfielder, contrary to published information. “ I have no merit, there was no veto. Until the match against Lecce, I hadn’t heard anything about Koné. Afterwards, there would have been no time to negotiate anyway. And then, we never received an official offer from Chelsea “, explained the Italian technician. A clarification which contrasts with the version, according to which Gasperini threatened to resign if the Frenchman left Rome.
However, the issue caused a lot of talk in the final hours of the transfer window. Chelsea were announced to be very interested in Koné and an agreement around 58 million euros between the two clubs had even been mentioned, with a Blues offensive that could approach 60 million. The operation ultimately never came to fruition and the French midfielder remained at Roma, where he occupies an important place in Gasperini’s project. While the Giallorossi return to the Champions League and have great ambitions in Serie A, the Roman coach therefore affirms that the failure of the transfer is not the result of an intervention on his part, but that no official proposal from Chelsea has arrived on the table.
