Nothing happened! Roma chief torches Chelsea's big midfield claim

Twenty-four hours after Chelsea were said to be a signature away from landing Manu Koné, Roma have torn the whole story apart.

Details: Speaking via Fabrizio Romano, Roma director Tony D'Amico confirmed the French midfielder was never close to joining Chelsea and that no official bid ever arrived. He added that Gian Piero Gasperini did not even need to use a veto, because nothing concrete happened: the clubs make calls, as Roma do as well, nothing else.

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That version clashes spectacularly with deadline day's reporting. Sky Sport Italia described a £52 million bid and talks over Jamie Gittens going the other way on loan, with a meeting to finalise everything scheduled for midday before Gasperini's fury brought it all down. D'Amico's denial now suggests the story never got past phone calls. What is certain is the context: Chelsea needed a midfielder after Enzo Fernández joined Manchester City for a fee of around £120 million, and their deadline search ended empty-handed, with the Lamine Camara route from Monaco also collapsing. Koné, meanwhile, stayed and starred in Roma's 4-0 win over Lecce on Monday night, which only strengthened Gasperini's determination to keep him at all costs.

It's worth noting that Gasperini had said publicly on Monday that with 24 hours to go in the window, no sales should even be considered, a stance the club's director has now formally backed.

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