Roma will likely add a new center-back this summer, but there won’t be a third return from Diego Llorente. He wasn’t retained following two consecutive loan spells. He joined Real Betis on a permanent deal from Leeds United. The defender transferred for just over €3M.
The Spaniard revealed that the Giallorossi tried to get him back during his introductory presser (via Tuttomercatoweb).
“Coming here was clearly the best step for my career. I hope to do my part and help the team reach its goals. It’s an unbeatable destination for me and my family. After the end of the season, I took some time to reflect and was informed about their interest. Other teams were after me, including Roma, but the sum of all the factors and the enthusiasm of this place were key to my decision.”
“I think I have grown a lot. I improved in the Premier League in terms of physical preparation. The same thing happened in Italy. I took the best out of any country. I return to Spain as a better player.”
Real Betis’ director Manu Fajardo stated that Llorente was instrumental in the positive outcome of the deal.
“We thank him for prioritizing us since he was in demand. He gave his 200 percent to be here with us today. He was our top option.”
Llorente signed a four-year contract with his new outfit. Roma also lost Dean Huijsen, who was on loan from Juventus. They were strongly linked to Mats Hummels, but it appears that they won’t sign a new man until they ship off Chris Smalling.
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