Agent explains why reported Newcastle and West Ham target didn’t move to England

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Daniele Rugani joined Rennes from Juventus because offers from the Premier League weren’t as tempting, agent David Torch has told TuttoJuve of the reported West Ham United and Newcastle target.

It seems barely a day goes by without someone mentioning another talented central defender who West Ham failed to sign during the 2020 summer transfer window.

And we can add Rugani, a five-time Serie A champion and Italy international, to the likes of James Tarkowski, Wesley Fofana, Nikola Milenkovic and Jonathan Tah.

Alfredo Pedulla reported last week the Hammers had made a concrete approach for the 26-year-old, with the same publication also mentioning Newcastle as a potential destination for the £18 million-rated defender.

But once Rennes made it clear how desperate they were to take Rugani to Brittany, his mind was made up.

“The interest of Rennes had already existed for some time,” Torchia says, suggesting the personal touch was as important as the chance to play Champions League football at Roazhon Park.

“The technical director, Florian Maurice, had been following (Rugani) since his time at Lyon and the coach (Julian Stephan) got in touch to talk about their project.

“Considering the offers from Germany, England and Spain were holding back, we opted for this. Rennes are a top-level team, they are growing, well-organised and will play in the Champions League this season.”

Pedulla claimed Fulham were interested in offering the Juventus benchwarmer a chance to rebuild his reputation at Craven Cottage before turning instead to Joachim Andersen and Tosin Adarabioyo.