Gasperini: We Never Received an Official Offer from Chelsea for Kone

In an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport, Gasperini said he never prevented Manu Kone from moving to Chelsea, contrary to previous reports circulating externally.

"I do not deserve any credit, and I never vetoed this transfer. Before the match against Lecce, I had not even heard any news about Kone. By the time that happened, there was no longer enough time to negotiate. Moreover, we never received an official offer from Chelsea."

It had previously been reported that if Kone left Roma, Gasperini could even threaten to resign. However, the Italian coach also denied this claim.

Kone's transfer became a major topic of discussion in the final hours before the summer transfer window closed. Previous reports said Chelsea were very interested in the French midfielder, and the two clubs were once close to reaching an agreement on a transfer fee of around 58 million euros. Chelsea's offer was even believed to have potentially reached close to 60 million euros.

However, the deal was ultimately not completed. Kone remained at Roma and continues to be an important part of Gasperini's plans. As Roma returned to the Champions League and continued to remain competitive in Serie A, Gasperini made it clear that Kone staying was not because of his intervention, but because Chelsea never submitted an official offer to Roma.