Kostas Manolas did not follow his comrade Leandro Paredes to Zenit St. Petersburg, but the story is not over yet. As reported by Sky Sport, Roberto Mancini is trying to reopen talks with the Greek defender. The future of the former Olympiacos player is still to be decided. Manolas’ decision is considered to be directly related to yet another Roma teammate, Antonio Rudiger. The defender has been increasingly linked with a move to Chelsea, as coach Antonio Conte is a known admirer. Should the Giallorossi lose Rudiger, their valuation for Manolas will indeed go up.

Nonetheless, Zenit and Manolas could yet be given some light should an offer arrive that neither party can refuse. The will of the player has been thrown directly in question after a missed medical and rumors of a third party intervention, but the Giallorossi will perhaps see red flags around the player. Amidst the talks of one player, there is a domino effect for another. If Chelsea and Zenit can coax away two of Roma’s strongest defenders, their transfer strategy could quickly change gears and be refocused on reinforcing their back line.