Roma winger Miralem Pjanic. (Photo : Getty Images)
Despite rumors that reigning Italian Serie A champions Juventus is targeting him in the coming transfer window, Roma midfielder Miralem Pjanic is set to stay at the Stadio Olimpico next season, according to team manager Luciano Spalletti.
Speculations abound that the 26-year-old Bosnian winger is intending to join the five-straight Scudetto winners next season as he wants a chance to acquire domestic and continental hardware to his career.
Juventus won their fifth straight Serie A title this season and will again compete in the next Champions League, which are both attractive to Pjanic. However, Roma has qualified for Champions League football as well for next season after finishing third in the Italian top flight standings in this term.
Current I Giallorossi head coach Spalletti said that he does not believe 5-foot-11 midfielder wants to join their rivals this coming offseason as he admitted Pjanic telling him personally that "he wants to stay".
"We'll evaluate things. He said to me that he wants to stay, so if he's happy, I'm happy," Spalletti told reporters recently, via Football Italia.
"Roma put on a show, and it's clear that some of our players are targets for other clubs. But these are the same players I have contact with every day, and they assured me they want to stay at Roma," he added.
The 57-year-old Italian bench tactician then repeatedly stated that the club will "evaluate" Pjanic's status, but he believes that all of their players are keen on remaining with him moving forward.
"We have to further evaluate it of course, because it happens in football that one club takes a player from another club. We'll evaluate, but the players want to keep wearing our shirt," said Spalletti.
"Would I be angry if Pjanic went to Juve? I'm happy if the players are happy," he ended interestingly.
Meanwhile, Caught Offside indicated that Pjanic's top suitors, English Premier League sides Liverpool and Chelsea, are given bad news after Spalletti's recent pronouncements.
The report noted that the two English giants' "respective pursuits of Pjanic may have a problem prying him from Italy this summer" as Spalletti is adamant that his midfielder is happy with his Champions League-bound team.
