Crotone chairman Gianni Vrenna says Simeon Nwankwo will not be sold this summer despite interests from other clubs, reports OwoSports.
The Nigerian international was the Serie B top scorer with 20 goals to help Crotone secure promotion to Serie A in the just concluded season.
Lazio and Udinese have been credited with interest in the lanky forward but chairman of the club insist he is not up for sale.
“We will keep at least nine of the 11 players for next season including Alez Cordaz, Junior Messias, Salvatore Molina, Simy (Nwankwo) and also Ahmad Benali, with which we are in the process of finding an agreement,”Vrenna told calciomercato.com.
“Then we will try to strengthen the squad and make it compete with 3-4 category players.
Vrenna hinted that he had always believed in Nwankwo since the 28-year-old linked up with the club in 2016 from Portuguese side, Portimonense.
“He is a player in my heart. Since he arrived, I have been one of the few who believed in him; who stimulated him and who was close to him. He is an exceptional man; he also took whistles and insults. Now is his time, I repeat: he is a great man, as well as a great player,”he added.
Nwankwo penned a three-year contract with Crotone at the start of the 2019/20 season.