Report: Zenit in advanced talks to sign Roma's Manolas for €30M
Roberto Mancini's Zenit St. Petersburg is close to signing Roma defender Kostas Manolas for €30 million, Sky Sport Italia's Fabrizio Romano and Gianluca Di Marzio report Thursday.
The Giallorossi have a ready-made replacement for Manolas in the form of Hector Moreno, who completed a move from PSV Eindhoven last week.
A €30-million fee would represent a significant profit for the capital club, which spent €13 million to bring in Manolas from Olympiacos three summers ago.
The Greek international started the majority of matches at Roma, and has consistently been linked with a move away.
Inter emerged as a potential destination once former Roma manager Luciano Spalletti took the reins there.
However, Mancini, who encountered Manolas during his own time on Inter's touchline between 2014 and 2016, has reportedly decided to make the 26-year-old his first high-profile signing in Russia.
Zenit announced Mancini as its new manager at the beginning of June, and immediately tasked him with the objective of securing a Champions League spot by winning next season's Russian Premier League.
By virtue of finishing in third place over the 2016-17 term, Zenit missed out on Europe's premier cup competition. Romanian coach Mircea Lucescu was later fired to create the void on the bench.
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