Dutchman not for sale say Italian giants.
Manchester United reportedly had a €25m bid for AS Roma midfield ace Kevin Strootman rejected during the January transfer window.
According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, the former PSV Eindhoven star was targeted by the Premier League champions after they initially missed out on signing him in the summer.
The Dutchman instead opted to move to Italy in a €19m deal, although United boss David Moyes reportedly made an approach to sign him again last month which was instantly rejected.
“Kevin is very happy in Rome and his plan is to stay there for a long time,” said agent Chiel Dekker, according to Football Italia.
“He is well, while he likes both the club and the city.”
It is understood that Roma told United emissaries that they wouldn’t even begin negotiations for anything less than a €40m bid.
However, given the importance of the Dutch international to Rudi Garcia’s side it is expected that he will not be sold in the summer as the Giallorossi look to rebuild under the French tactician having parted with various top stars last summer.
Roma remain nine points behind Juventus at the top of the Serie A table, although they do have a game in hand and have no European distractions this season.
Strootman has played an integral role in their success thus far, as he also scored a goal in their Coppa Italia semi-final first leg clash against Napoli on Wednesday in which the capital club won 3-2.
It remains to be seen whether or not Moyes returns to target Strootman again in the summer, although it appears as though they will face a tough time in persuading Roma to begin negotiations.
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