Moyes blasts De Fanti over transfer claim

DAVID Moyes has hit back at agent Roberto De Fanti for claiming his clients Fabio Borini and Vito Mannone are ‘destined’ to leave this summer.

De Fanti, who spent a disastrous six-month spell as Sunderland’s director of football, was quoted in Italy just 24 hours after reports had emerged – also in Italy – linking striker Borini and goalkeeper Mannone with moves away from Wearside at the end of the season.

“We say that unfortunately the relegation of Sunderland is near, and with it the most important players are destined to leave the club, including Vito and Fabio,” he told Tuttosport.

“They were most important for the club and helped also in historic days – semi-finals and a final at Wembley and won numerous derbies with Newcastle.”

But Moyes took a swipe at De Fanti, saying: “Well the first thing I would say is that it is wrong for any agent to talk about players while they are under contract.

“When it is someone who we know we’re talking about [De Fanti as Sunderland’s former director of football], you’d think that would mean they would even more respect [for Sunderland].

“It isn’t a breach [of contract] to talk about your player while he is under contract, but it certainly isn’t the correct way for an agent to do (things).”

Mannone signed a new deal last summer which runs until 2018, while Borini’s contract runs until 2019.

Borini has been poor this season and may well move on, with Celtic rumoured to be interested.

And Mannone has been linked with Watford and Serie A sides Genoa and Atlanta since being displaced by Jordan Pickford.

Moyes said: “If they are [on the move] we’ll be looking for a lot of money for them. Unless there’s something in their contract that will be the theme [this summer].”

He added: “Of course we’ve got players out of contract, but the ones being talked about [Borini and Mannone] are not.”

De Fanti was appointed as Sunderland’s first director football in the summer of 2013 but lasted only six months in the role, with the Black Cats still paying the price for decisions taken under his reign.

He oversaw the arrival of a raft of flops including the likes of Cabral, Modibo Diakite, Jozy Altidore, David Moberg-Karlsson, Valentin Roberge, Emanuele Giaccherini, El-Hadji Ba, Andrea Dossena, Charis Mavrias, all of whom moved on either for no fee or, where some money was received, at a significant loss.