Arsenal and Chelsea target Kostas Manolas not for sale, insists Roma president

In demand: Manolas has attracted interest from Arsenal and Chelsea
Paolo Bruno/Getty Images
James Benge17 July 2016

Roma have issued a hands-off warning over Greek defender Kostas Manolas, a target for both Arsenal and Chelsea.

Manolas’ agent, Iannis Evangelopoulos, warned last week that his client was not intending to renew his contract with Roma, who reportedly value the 25-year-old at £38million.

Even that figure may not be enough to convince Roma to sell their defensive cornerstone, despite having in a potential replacement Inter Milan, Juan Jesus, and with Nacho set to arrive on loan from Real Madrid.

Club president James Palotta said: “Why on earth should Manolas leave? Juan Jesus and Nacho are two experienced defenders who are going to help us. The team is working very hard for the Champions League play off stage.”

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Chelsea’s focus remains on Manolas’ Serie A rival, Kalidou Koulibaly of Napoli, but Antonio Conte fears he will have to break the British transfer record for a defender and pay over £50m to bring the Senegal international to Stamford Bridge.

That could encourage the Blues to switch focus to Manolas, a player Arsenal attempted to sign two years ago and in whom they still maintain an interest.

Arsenal’s current focus remains on buying a striker, though they face a battle in finding one at a price they consider to represent a good value return. Gonzalo Higuain is the latest forward to top their shortlist, though, like Chelsea, the Gunners are finding Napoli’s demands (£78.8m) to be all too sizeable.

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