Udinese Exec Anticipates Samardzic Staying Put Again

For the second window in a row, Lazar Samardzic is likely to stay put at Udinese despite being inches close from departing. The talks with Napoli have taken a wrong turn after the early momentum. The Azzurri are focusing on other names now. Juventus and Brighton didn’t target him forcefully. The Bianconeri might not have the funds to acquire him in January.

Udinese CEO Franco Collavino weighed in on Rai’s TV Show ‘Noventesimo Minuto’ (via Sportitalia).

“Samardzic is an absolute talent and a footballer who displayed great potential right from his first year in Italy. It’s normal that many clubs are interested in him. However, there’s no concrete situation that leads us to believe he will transfer in January at this stage. He will become one of the best midfielders in Europe, but we don’t anticipate him leaving in the current window.”

The exec also dished by Nehuen Perez, who’s also in Napoli’s crosshairs.

“We’re focused on our activity and season. We don’t concern ourselves with the rumors about our players, even though we know they are gifted. It’s natural for them to generate some attention.”

On top of commenting on Samardzic and Perez, Collavino addressed the shameful racist incident during the Milan game.

“We’re very sorry for it. Our club immediately disavowed any form of discrimination. We’re energetically determined to find the responsible. We reached out to the authorities right away. They were three persons at most. There weren’t widespread chants.”