Middlesbrough and West Brom both tried to sign the Chelsea midfielder Mario Pasalic this summer, his agent has revealed.
Speaking to Calcio Mercato, Vincenzo Cavaleiro was asked if apart from AC Milan, there were other clubs interested in the 21-year-old. He answered: “Yes, both we and Chelsea had contacts with seven clubs. It’s not easy at the moment to leave Abramovich’s club, they believe in Pasalic for the future.
“We had almost closed with PSV but I was also asked by Torino, Eibar, Sporting Gijon, West Bromwich Albion and Middlesbrough.”
Although the interviewer insisted on asking how can the player be happy if he hasn’t had any game time in Italy yet, the agent made sure to say Pasalic has adapted well at Milan and is calmly waiting for his opportunity.
He also revealed that when he joined Chelsea, besides Lazio, the youngster was also very close to joining Juventus.
Pasalic signed for Chelsea from Hajduk Split in 2014 for £2.1m. He hasn’t yet managed to make a single appearance for the Blues, and has been loaned to Elche, AS Monaco, and now Milan.
