Roma chief warns Arsenal and Chelsea off Manolas swoop

Kostas Manolas: Set for Inter

Roma president James Pallotta has warned Chelsea and Arsenal not to waste their time bidding for defender Kostas Manolas.

Reports on Saturday suggested Roma had reluctantly put a £38million price tag on the Greece centre-half’s head amid ongoing speculation he was set for a move to the Premier League.

Both sides are in the market for new central defenders this summer, with the Blues also in the hunt for Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly.

But despite reports Manolas is not on speaking terms with some of his Roma team-mates – La Gazzetta dello Sport reports Kevin Strootman has clashed with himhim several times during pre-season training – the club have underlined their intention to offer him a new deal with Giallorossi.

Speaking in the Italian press, Pallotta said: “Why on earth would we let Manolas leave? He’s a big part of our plans.

Both he, Juan Jesus and Nacho are experienced defenders who are going to help us. The team is working very hard for the Champions League play off stages.”

However, with Manolas reportedly unwilling to sign a new deal, it seems Roma may be forced to accept the highest price possible for the defender.