Romagnoli Soap Opera Reaches Unpleasant End as Lazio & Al-Sadd Miss the Deadline

The transfer saga involving Lazio, Alessio Romagnoli and Al-Sadd went down to the wire, but the parties couldn’t register the transfer in time.

Alessio Romagnoli Was Hoping to Leave Lazio in January

Despite bidding the club’s travelling supporters farewell last Saturday in Lecce, the 31-year-old was ‘officially’ taken off the market the following day. The defender failed to convince the Biancocelesti relinquish his services, but Al-Sadd officials arrived in Rome in the hopes of breaking the deadlock before Saturday’s transfer deadline in Qatar.

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Romagnoli to Al-Sadd Falls Through Due to Transfer Deadline

According to Italian journalist Alfredo Pedullà, Lazio raised their initial asking price, requesting figures above €10 million. After some back-and-forth negotiations, the two clubs were able to find an agreement. However, at that point, there was no longer enough time to register the transfer, as the deadline had already passed (by 10:00 pm CET).

Other reliable sources in the Italian media, including Sky Sport journalist Gianluca Di Marzio and Manuele Baiocchini, also confirmed the latest developments on the botched transfer.

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Lazio Had Already Secured Daniele Rugani As Romagnoli’s Replacement

Interestingly, Pedullà also revealed that Lazio had reached an agreement with Juventus for Daniele Rugani, who was expected to fill in for Romagnoli in Maurizio Sarri’s plans. The Empoli youth product was all in favour of the move, while the Bianconeri gave the green light to a loan with an option to buy that would become an obligation if the Aquile finish in the Top 13 of the Serie A standings.

Needless to say, Rugani’s transfer has also fallen through, as it was directly related to Romagnoli’s move to Qatar.

Romagnoli Set for Awkward Reinstatment

The former AC Milan captain could rejoin his Lazio teammates in training in the coming days, but his return to the fold will be rather awkward after vigorously pushing for the exit door over the past few weeks.