AS Roma completed a double swoop of two Paris Saint-Germain midfielders this summer transfer window. One of the players was Renato Sanches, who José Mourinho used as an example to show the difficulties of the Italian club in the transfer market.
Nonetheless, the Roma manager notes that if Sanches had remained healthy during his lone season at PSG, the Portugal international might not be with the Serie A squad.
Mourinho states that a healthy Sanches would be starting with the French giants.
“If the player comes from a great season and we try to buy, or they say no or put a price outside of Roma’s reality,” Mourinho said (h/t Globo Esporte). “And then they say it’s a surprise that Renato Sanches doesn’t play tomorrow [against Verona on Saturday].
“It’s no surprise. Being injured is [Sanches’] story for the past two years. If he didn’t get injured, he [would be] a PSG starter and wouldn’t come to Rome. This is our situation.”
The 25-year-old was a key player that sporting advisor Luis Campos brought last summer. However, the inability to stay healthy hampered his chances to nail down a starting role in the midfield.
With PSG reinforcing the midfield even more this summer, competition is fierce. As a result, Sanches and PSG opted for a temporary split as he goes on loan to Roma and hopes to be named to the Portugal national team for UEFA Euro 2024 next summer.
