Sabatini: Roma not looking to sell De Rossi

Sabatini says Roma have 'never considered' selling De Rossi

09-Aug-2012 6:55:00 PM

The Giallorossi director of football will only consider a 'monster' offer for the midfielder, citing the €30m valuation of Fiorentina's Stevan Jovetic as an insufficient amount

Roma director of football Walter Sabatini has dismissed reports linking Daniele De Rossi with a move away from the club.

Reports circulated earlier in the day that Manchester City were readying a €32m bid for the 29-year-old midfielder, who has attracted interest from the Premier League champions in the past after talks on a new contract had stalled.

But Sabatini moved to clarify Roma’s position on the matter, insisting that the Giallorossi were not actively looking to sell their vice-captain due to his value to the club.

“De Rossi is a leader for us, and therefore we never considered selling him,” Sabatini told the Corriere Dello Sport.

“We are not looking for anyone to buy De Rossi, because he is extraordinarily important for us, a player who is irreplaceable, and so it would be difficult to even look at an indecent proposal.”

Sabatini maintained that the Serie A outfit would only consider a “monster” offer for the Italy international, claiming that he was worth significantly more than the €30m valuation of Fiorentina’s Stevan Jovetic.

“If a monstrous offer materializes, then we will evaluate. The figure for De Rossi is much higher than FIorentina’s asking price for Jovetic.”

De Rossi has played for Roma for the entirety of his career, amassing almost 400 competitive appearances with the club, while winning 78 caps for the Italy national team.