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Lazio reportedly declined an initial offer from Inter to swap Kristjan Asllani for Nicolò Rovella, but the Nerazzurri are likely to make another attempt.

Inter offers to swap Kristjan Asllani for Lazio’s Nicolò Rovella 

Inter have proposed to Lazio to sign star midfielder Nicolò Rovella in exchange for Kristjan Asllani and a “significant” financial compensation, but Lazio’s owner Claudio Lotito declined the offer, states DAZN’s Orazio Accomando. Nevertheless, Inter are likely to make another attempt. 

As Edward Howarth of DashTickets reminds, for the past two seasons, 23-year-old Rovella was on loan from Juventus and is now about to be acquired by Lazio for 17 million euros. As of now, Rovella has provided six assists in 74 appearances with the Rome-based club. According to Radiosei, once the player’s contract comes into effect in July, there will be a 50 million euro release clause.

Inter are considered open to business regarding Asllani and Davide Frattesi. 

As Corriere dello Sport reports, Inter has promised the club’s manager Simone Inzaghi a busy summer to convince him to refuse Al-Hilal’s offer he had received earlier.

Inter are also considering signing Samuele Ricci and Morten Frendrup and suggested that none of the team’s stars will leave.

The competition for signing Rovella is quite high. According to insider Nicolo Shira, earlier this month Lazio started negotiations to extend Rovella’s contract until 2030 and offered a salary increase to fend off interest from other clubs.

Liverpool, Aston Villa, and Manchester City are also highly interested in the midfielder, with the Reds putting pressure on them to get a deal over the line ahead of next season. According to Dentdeleone, it is speculated that Lazio might sign the player only to sell him for profit. 

Rovella himself states that he doesn’t intend to leave Lazio. In his interview with Il Messaggero, he insisted that he intends to stay at the club for the rest of his playing days.

“I’m in love. I have a truly special bond with Lazio. The fans are similar to South America, they are the best in the world. I want to stay here forever. I didn’t come here to explode and then go on to win silverware with other clubs. I’m flattered that the big clubs are looking for me, but I am already in a big club. I have a five-year contract and I’m happy here. This club is evolving, it has a project that involves me. I hope to win a lot here, to bring Lazio back to the top. I want to lift more than one cup. This is my mission,” said Rovella.

This article first appeared on Football Italia and was syndicated with permission.

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