Nainggolan and Astori not leaving Cagliari.
Cagliari president Massimo Cellino has insisted that both Radja Nainggolan and Davide Astori will not be leaving the club on transfer deadline day.
Speculation had resurfaced on Monday that AC Milan were ready to submit a bid of around €8m for Astori in a co-ownership deal, while Juventus remained interested in prising away talented midfielder Nainggolan.
However, Cellino made it clear he is not interested in selling by leaving Milan and heading back to Sardinia just hours before the deadline is set to pass on Monday, and revealed he will not upset the fans by selling their key players.
“I have no intention of upsetting our fans,” he told TMW as reported by Football Italia, with the statement also being published on the official club website. “Astori and Nainggolan will remain with Cagliari.”
Astori has been a long-term target of the Rossoneri who were keen on bolstering their options in defence with the arrival of the Italian international.
Similarly, Juve had been monitoring Nainggolan for some time and were hopeful of reaching a deal back in January before talks collapsed.
Their interest has again been reported ahead of the deadline, but the Belgian midfielder will remain in Sardinia at least until January where he may perhaps again be a target of the Turin giants.
Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani confirmed that he was admitting defeat in his pursuit of Astori, and told reporters ahead of Kaka signing his contract with the club, that the market “can be considered closed” for the Rossoneri.
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