De Vrij thanks Lazio and says "it hurts to leave this way"

The Dutch international will leave Lazio at the end of the season, his fourth at the club which he joined from Feyenoord.

"It has been a really difficult period full of speculation about my future, leading to this point which nobody wanted," he wrote on his Instagram page.

"For a number of reasons, we didn't succeed in finding an agreement which was satisfactory for both sides."

"I understand the disappointment of the Lazio fans very well and it hurts me to leave this way. Although I'm very happy and feel at home, sometimes you need to leave your comfort zone to reach your objectives."

Lazio's sporting director Igli Tare said before Monday's Serie A match against Verona that it had withdrawn an offer made to the 26-year-old.