AS Roma have ruled out signing centre-back Mehdi Benatia despite three Premier League clubs showing interest in him.
Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea and Manchester City have all been interested in signing the Moroccan international after he was superb in Serie A last season during his debut season for Roma, but the club have now officiall ruled out selling the 27-year-old.
Benatia joined Roma last Summer from Udinese and has quickly become one of Europe’s top defenders, but any chance of a move to the Premier League looks all-but over now after the club confirmed they are not looking to sell.
Roma manager, Rudi Garcia, had this to say on the situation:
‘For me, it’s clear. He’s under contract and he will be a Roma player this season,’ he told the club’s website.
‘Fortunately the president makes a point of speaking with the players, he likes talking with everyone – he hasn’t just spoken with Mehdi, he’s spoken to them all.
‘The only thing is that for you, the chat he had with Mehdi is more interesting than the ones he had with the others.
‘In my opinion Mehdi is relaxed, he’s motivated and he will play tomorrow. There’s no problem.’
Written by Alex Batt – @AlexBatt – @AlexsArticles
