Bologna sporting director Marco Di Vaio has ruled out a move for Austrian striker Marko Arnautovic amidst transfer interest from Manchester United.
The 33-year-old has emerged as a surprise target for the Old Trafford outfit, who are keen to bolster their squad before the close of the transfer window.
The Red Devils reportedly tabled a £6.8 million offer for the former West Ham United striker but saw their bid rebuffed by the Serie A side.
Bologna director Marco Di Vaio has now outlined Arnautovic’s importance to the club while also ruling out a potential exit for the Austrian this summer.
“It’s not easy to play in the transfer window, there’s a lot of talk, we want to keep Marko,” Di Vaio told Italia 1 via Daily Mail.
“[Giovanni] Sartori, the president and [Claudio] Fenucci said as much. He’s at the centre of our project.
“We don’t want to sell him, but to strengthen the team to have an important season.
“It’s not a question of money, he’s priceless for what he represents for us. We want to move forward with him because we believe he can do better and help us grow.”
After an impressive stint in the Premier League, where he scored 43 goals and provided 33 assists in 184 appearances for Stoke City and West Ham, Arnautovic completed a shock move to Shanghai Port in 2019.
He struck 19 goals and set up a further four in 28 appearances for the Chinese Super League side before returning to Europe last season on a two-year contract with Bologna.
He continued his red-hot form in front of goal as he netted 15 times in 34 appearances across all competitions for the Rossoblu, helping them to a 13th-placed finish in Serie A.
Keen to add more firepower in attack, United have identified Arnautovic as a potential transfer target, with Erik ten Hag pushing for the deal following their time together at Twente Enschede.
United were in talks over a move for Red Bull Salzburg prodigy Benjamin Sesko but the 19-year-old striker is reportedly close to agreeing a deal with German Bundesliga club RB Leipzig.
