Roma chief Tiago Pinto has shared his annoyance at Nicolò Zaniolo turning down a move to Bournemouth as he “could have done something important” with the money from the sale.
Zaniolo is currently on the verge of completing a move to Turkish side Galatasaray after a falling out with the Italian club over the last few weeks.
He has found himself the centre of ire from the club’s fanbase and also down the pecking order under Jose Mourinho after a series of disappointing performances in the team.
Those things saw him heavily linked with a move away during the January transfer window, with several Premier League teams considering moves.
Bournemouth joined the list of suitors late and appeared to have a deal lined up for the midfielder late in the window, reaching an agreement with Roma as they spent money to reshape Gary O’Neill’s squad.
That move was scuppered by Zaniolo, though, who outright refused to make the switch despite his unhappiness in Rome. That decision frustrated Pinto, who had plans to use the money to bolster Mourinho’s squad.
“If Zaniolo had accepted Bournemouth’s offer, we could have done something important to strengthen the team but we didn’t succeed,” Tuttomercatoweb report him saying.
“Yes (he had targets), but I won’t say who out of respect. We tried to do everything on a tight deadline, then Nicolò decided to leave and there were 15 days left.”
