Marca.com: Sevilla’s seemingly never-ending success owes so much to their sporting director Ramon Rodriguez Verdejo – better known as Monchi – but his time at the Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan may be coming to an end, with Roma waiting in the wings.
The former goalkeeper and current director was close to departing Andalusia in 2016 and is in need of a fresh challenge, even though he ultimately agreed last summer to stay on for the time being.
Yet the LaLiga club might only be able to keep hold of him for so long, something further suggested by comments made last Sunday night by Sevilla president Pepe Castro.
“You can’t force anybody to be where they don’t want to be,” Castro told Cadena Ser when asked if he could confirm Monchi would be staying.
The Italian capital would be the most likely destination for the 48-year-old squad-manufacturing genius, with Monchi preferring the style of Italian football over that of English football, where Everton made attempts to secure his signature last summer.
Roma’s project looks set to be an exciting one, with the club having already made a blockbuster addition to their management team in hiring AC Milan mastermind Umberto Gandini as their chief executive last year. Now their sights are set on Monchi and the Sevilla director has come into contact with counterparts from Roma on two occasions already this season.
Both parties attended the Arsenal versus Paris Saint-Germain Champions League match in London earlier in the season, while Monchi was also approached in Boston – where Roma president James Pallotta’s family is based – when attending a conference.
Although Barcelona and Real Madrid also appreciate his talents, Monchi knows a move to another Spanish club would be difficult, making Roma an even more logical landing spot.