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EXCLUSIVE: 'Roma asked after Tonelli in January, no Lazio interest'
This particular question has been on many Serie A fans' lips since his agent, Marco Sommella, said that Lazio weren't just interested in the 26-year-old, but that they were ahead of the competition (he's been connected to Roma and Fiorentina, too).
Empoli's Director of Sport, however, offers a different version.
"I've not heard anything from Lazio lately, " Marcello Carli told us "and the same goes for other clubs. Transfers are a taboo subject for us at the moment, we need to think of ourselves and of staying up. Then we'll talking about it with Tonelli and his agent in June".
Tonelli has had a couple of great seasons for the Tuscans, having been with the club since 2000. Last season, he made up one of Serie A's most admired partnerships at the back with Daniele Rugani, who has since moved to Juventus.
Carli did reveal that another Roman club had expressed an interest in his star defender.
"We met with Roma about Tonelli in January, but they're not current events anymore"
Asked whether Tonelli, who is from Florence, would favour the Viola, Empoli's Director of Sport was unspecific:
"I don't know if he'd be affected by that. Lorenzo needs to think about doing his best with Empoli, he's coming off a suspension, so he needs to end his season with a bang".
