According to Giovanni Carnevali, the club's general manager and CEO, Sassuolo declined to transfer Brazilian left defender Rogerio to Russian team Spartak Moscow for moral concerns.
The 25-year-old defender, who had previously been a member of Juventus' reserve team, returned to Sassuolo in August 2017 and has since made nearly 150 Serie A appearances for the team.
“(It’s) very true. The negotiation was done by his attorney, there was a very important proposal of 8 million euros ($8.87 million)," Carnevali told La Gazzetta dello Sport in an interview published on Sunday.
"Considering everything, we decided not to proceed as owners and management. Ethical reasons, we did not want to do a deal with the Russians."
Due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine—which Moscow refers to as a "special military operation"—Russian clubs have been barred from participating in European competition.
Despite the fact that the Brazilian's contract is slated to expire in 2024, Sassuolo declined to complete the transaction.
"We wanted to make conscience prevail, not to do business with a certain country. And yes, at the cost of losing him for free," Carnevali added.
"It's not that Rogerio is no longer on the market. He is. But the choice was of a different nature, if offers should arrive from other clubs, we will evaluate them."
Sassuolo placed 13th overall in the 2022–23 season.
