Sporting director Walter Sabatini claims young Italians aren't good enough for Roma, while Francesco Totti 'deserves a new contract'.
The Giallorossi have less and less home nationals in their starting XI, with only Stephan El Shaarawy and Alessandro Florenzi among the consistent starters.
“Look, just today I was asking my scouts to find some valid Italians, from Serie A down to the lowest tiers,” Sabatini said, as reported by the Gazzetta dello Sport. “We examined them, and it was a disaster.
“There are no such players, at Roma they would end up being on the margins. People say that we only buy abroad because we get financial bonuses out of it. That's just talk.
“Who are the only valid young Italians? [Fiorentina's Federico] Bernardeschi, perhaps [Milan's Alessio] Romagnoli, but I suspect [joint-CEO Adriano] Galliani would show some resistance.
“But we'll confirm [Stephan] El Shaarawy. He deserves it and he has a great future. The cost [€13m] isn't too high.