Cairo: “A mistake to keep players against your will. I have already made mistakes in the past with Nkoulou and Belotti”

On one side Raoul Bellanova who is undergoing medical tests with Atalanta this morning, on the other hand the anger of the Granata fans who saw another important element of the squad leave after the sale of Buongiorno to Napoli. “Already in the past weeks his agent had communicated to me a certain restlessness on Bellanova’s part – underlines the president of Torino, Urban Cairoin the interview given to Allsports -. After the European Championship he expected some offers. It is no coincidence that when he was presented with the possibility of going to Atalanta he immediately said yes”.

Unlike what happened a year ago with Buongiorno.
“Exactly. I’ve said it and repeated it several times. I was very happy that Buongiorno stayed, but keeping a player against his will is a mistake: I made it in the past with Nkoulou and Belotti and I have no intention of repeating it because we know that in the long run certain choices turn into a boomerang.”

Bellanova has never played for two years in a row in the same team after the youth team at Milan: Bordeaux, Atalanta, Pescara, Cagliari, Inter and Torino… Why?
“I don’t know what to say, but I’ll say it again: I can only speak well of him. The stomach ache is a different matter, which I was informed about by his agent because Bellanova never called me personally. And in any case, if we analyze the market, we realize that he’s not just selling Toro, eh. Even Bologna, who qualified for the Champions League last season, or Atalanta, who certainly represent a model at the moment, have sold important players”, concluded the number one of the Granata club.

The numbers of the Bellanova-Atalanta operation
The operation will have significant costs, also considering the bonuses, the Bergamo club could end up paying almost 25 million euros in total, with the player arriving in Zingonia on a permanent basis. The contract that the winger will sign with the Nerazzurri will last five years, with a salary that will have a fixed base of 1.8 million euros net plus bonuses.