Calciomercato.com

  • EXCLUSIVE - Former Roma target set to join another European club

    EXCLUSIVE - Former Roma target set to join another European club

    • Translated by Lorenzo Bettoni (@lorebetto)
    Last May Roma looked to be closing in on the signing of Cerro Porteno’s starlet Sergio Diaz, a 17-year-old striker who is considered to be among the most interesting prospects South American football has to offer at the moment.

    Talking exclusively to calciomercato.com, the Paraguayan’s agent, Patrick Jani Delmas, reveled how the deal with the Capitolines fell apart last summer.

    Mr. Delmas, first of all, can you tell us what kind of player Diaz is?
    “He is a fast centre-forward who always wants to be involved in the build-up. He is an explosive player and it's not a coincidence that he's been nicknamed Kun. He’s very similar to Aguero.”

    Has he ever played for Paraguay, at any level?
    “Yes, sure. This year he featured in the U-20 South American Championship which was held in Uruguay. Recently, he also took part in the U-17 World Cup.”

    What about Cerro Porteno’s senior team? Is he playing on a regular basis there?
    “He was the second best scorer on the team in 2014, despite his young age. He has already made 40 appearances for the senior team.”

    Why didn’t he join Roma last summer?
    “Roma took decisive steps to sign Diaz, but I haven't been in touch with the club for a long time. Last summer the deal was almost done, but they then cut off all contact. I can confirm that agreements between the two clubs, as well as between us and Roma, had been drafted. We just had to put pen to paper.”

    So the player didn't signed any pre-contract agreement…
    “No, we haven't sign anything. I can only say that there was a draft. They had to send us some documents to seal the deal, but since then we haven’t heard anything else from them. I think they changed their minds”.
       
    How much money were Roma going to pay for Diaz?
    “Sorry, but I can’t reveal that. It’s a private issue between the two clubs.”

    Are you negotiating with any other European or Serie A clubs?
    “Unfortunately I can’t mention any clubs because we're in an advanced stage of negotiations at the moment. There are a lot of clubs interested in signing him. His future could be in Europe, we are working to achieve this and he may arrive next summer when he’ll turn 18.”

    Does he like Italian football? Would he join a Serie A team?
    “Many people in Paraguay follow Serie A. He’d really love to join the league as there are many things that your country has in common with Paraguay, from culture to cuisine. Of course he likes Roma since he knew they wanted to acquire him.”
     

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