Football
Ben Gladwell, Italy correspondent 8y

Antonio Cassano set for Sampdoria stay - sporting director Carlo Osti

Sampdoria sporting director Carlo Osti has confirmed that Antonio Cassano is going to remain with the Genovese club this season.

Club president Massimo Ferrero had suggested that he would leave, saying that "now the time has come to turn the page" with Cassano no longer featuring in the plans of new coach Marco Giampaolo.

But Osti sees the situation differently and says the former Italy striker does have a future at the club.

"I think too much has been said about this," he told Mediaset television. "He's here and he's training hard and he's certainly going to make a huge contribution for us this season."

Cassano, 34, has just a year left to run on his contract and there had been talk of him taking on a new role within the club, but he turned down the offer to move upstairs, saying instead he still wanted to play on for another year.

He now looks to have convinced Ferrero and Osti that this is the best solution, while he now needs to persuade Giampaolo that he has a role to play in his side.

Cassano scored two goals in Serie A last season having returned to Samp a year ago.

He walked out on previous club Parma, who eventually went bankrupt, in January 2015 in a dispute over unpaid wages.

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