“I’m not okay with it”: Bologna chief admits being “bothered” by Thiago Motta exit rumours amid Man United links | OneFootball

Bologna director Claudio Fenucci has admitted to being bothered by the ongoing rumours linking Thiago Motta and some of the club’s biggest stars to outfits like Manchester United.

Bologna boss Motta is understood to be one of the names on INEOS’ list to potentially replace under-fire manager Erik ten Hag.

Ten Hag has overseen a very underwhelming season by United’s usually high standards and it has been suggested he could be sacked at the end of the season to allow Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS to kickstart their era on a clean slate.

Alongside Motta, the Red Devils have also been linked to other top coaches including Julian Nagelsmann, Roberto De Zerbi, Graham Potter, Gareth Southgate, Zinedine Zidane, Gary O’Neil, Carlo Ancelotti, Ruben Amorim and Thomas Frank.

A previous report covered by The Peoples Person relayed that Motta, who is also on the radar of Juventus, would prefer a job in England as opposed to Italy – this would represent a major advantage to United in their efforts to land him.

The former Paris Saint-Germain midfielder is not the only person from Bologna who has been mentioned to be of interest to United.

It has been stated that Ten Hag’s side also want striker Joshua Zirkzee as the hunt for a reliable forward partner for Rasmus Hojlund gathers pace.

Fenucci spoke to Radio Serie A on Monday (via Football Italia) and addressed the “noise” surrounding Motta and claims they could be on the move to United or other interested parties.

He said about Motta, “Thiago is working like he had a long-term contract with us. It’s not a problem that he hasn’t yet confirmed his journey with us for the coming years. What bothers me a little is the continuous rumours and the noise around our players. I am not okay with it.”

“We are a strong club, one of the most solid in Serie A and we don’t want to change this group in the future. It’s very annoying to see many of our players linked with other clubs, it’s not a nice feeling.”

The Bologna director added, “However, I am sure this has a limited effect on them as they are all focused on our target and happy to be at Bologna. Our club is solid financially thanks to our owner [Joey Saputo], and we have long-term plans for the club’s growth, sporting results, and organisation.”

“We have a long-term vision and financial solidity to continue on this journey. We are in the race with clubs that aim for a Champions League placement every year; their revenues allow them to plan for the future with these sorts of targets.”

On players like Zirkzee possibly leaving in search of pastures anew, Fenucci remarked, “We want to keep them all in Rossoblu, which is their colour.”

Bologna are on track to qualify for the Champions League for the first time in their history and have the opportunity to further cement their place in the league rankings when they take on rivals AS Roma in a week’s time.

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