Serie A side Torino are keen to reject all bids for rumoured Everton target Armando Izzo, according to TuttoMercatoWEB.
It had been reported toward the end of June that the Toffees were putting places in place to lodge a €25million (£22.4m) bid for the 27-year-old, as multiple Premier League sides sought to rival each other for the centre-back’s signature following his impressive debut season at the Olympic Grande Torino Stadium.
Izzo moved to Walter Mazzarri’s Turin side in the summer of 2018 for €8million (£7.1m), having rejected the chance to join West Ham United. Il Toro have now been the ones to reject interest, with TuttoMercatoWEB echoing claims shared by Tuttosport in their Wednesday edition that AS Roma had been turned down following a believed €30million (£26.9m) approach.
At the time of our reported interest, claims emerging from Italy suggested Torino President Urbano Cairo could be tempted to sell their prized defensive asset for €30million, but this clearly does not seem to be the case.
TuttoMercatoWEB understand Cairo will now aim to hold firm in his reluctance to sell, with the 62-year-old Italian intent on retaining Izzo, Andrea Belotti, and the jewels of the Torino academy.
Il Toro are thought, for once, to be in a financial situation where they are under no obligation to sell their more valuable assets, and hope that retaining the likes of Izzo and Belotti can propel Mazzarri’s men into the European qualifying positions, having missed out on next term’s Europa League by three points.
The Champions League was also an achievable objective for Torino heading into the final weeks of the recent Serie A season, but defeat on the road to Empoli in the penultimate round of fixtures effectively terminated their efforts in that quest.