Newcastle United’s hopes of signing Sampdoria midfielder Dennis Praet have been dashed after the club’s chief announced he will block a move.
Calciomercato have reported that Antonio Romei, one of Sampdoria’s hierarchy, revealed in an interview that no players will be sold in January.
We will not sell any of our stars in January. I think we will only make a few changes, nothing more. No big players will leave in the winter transfer window.
Newcastle and Everton were both said to hold a strong interest in Praet, who has a £25 million release clause in his contract.
To rub salt in Newcastle wounds, the Belgian then revelaed that he will not be considering a departure from the Marassi any time soon, and is enjoying his football in Serie A.
He did concede that the Premier League is somewhere he’d like to play at some point in his career, but now doesn’t feel like the right time.
I know Sampdoria received some offers for me but I did’t even talk with any other club as there was no agreement between them.
I’ve never played in the Premier League but I’d be happy to go there one day. I am grateful to Sampdoria and I want to repay their trust scoring goals and making assists.
Magpies boss Rafa Benitez, who missed out on several top transfer targets in the summer, wants to add a bit more creativity to his midfield, with Praet fitting the bill nicely.
However, a transfer is becoming more and more unlikely for the North East side.
