Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United are reportedly in a three-way tussle to sign Lorenzo Pellegrini from AS Roma.
According to a report by The Sun, Manchester City and Manchester United have joined Chelsea in the race to sign Lorenzo Pellegrini from AS Roma. The three Premier League heavyweights are prepared to pay the €25 million release clause in the Italian midfielder’s Roma deal.
Pellegrini progressed through the ranks at AS Roma before making his senior debut in 2015. But, the player could not cement his place in the first-team setup thereafter, and was sold to Sassuolo in the summer of 2015, where he took no time to establish himself as a key figure.
In two years at the club, Pellegrini impressed with his performances at the heart of midfield, bagging 11 goals and 8 assists in 54 appearances. His form did not just help the 21-year-old break into the Italy National Team, but also secure a return to his boyhood club in the summer that followed.
Upon his move back to Stadio Olimpico, he has quickly become a regular in Eusebio Di Francesco’s first-team squad, making 13 appearances across all competitions so far this season. But, his exploits have caught the eye in England, with Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United monitoring his progress.
Antonio Conte is a huge admirer of the player’s talents, and with depth in midfield being a big problem in his squad at Stamford Bridge, he is keen to make reinforcements, either in January or next summer. Pellegrini, with his technical and creativity is a viable target for Chelsea.
At Manchester United, Jose Mourinho has been over-reliant on Paul Pogba to provide the creative spark from the centre of the park, and his absence has exposed some of the chinks in his squad. With Michael Carrick fast approaching the end of his glittering career, the need to sign a creative midfielder has accentuated.
Therefore, the Manchester United boss has set his sights on Pellegrini, although it is believed that Andreas Pereira is also being looked at as a possible alternative when he returns from his loan spell with Valencia.
Meanwhile, for Manchester City, the Italy international could potentially be a long-term replacement for David Silva, while also proving himself to be an additional option in the short-term future alongside Ilkay Gundogan.
The three clubs are prepared to meet his release clause, worth a paltry €25 million, and could offer him a lucrative deal to tempt him to make the switch. However, the report suggests that Pellegrini might remain loyal to Roma considering he has become a regular in the first-team setup.
Indeed, none of the three clubs would realistically be able to offer a larger role to the player, should he choose to join them, and it remains to be seen if they can do anything to persuade him to end his second coming at Roma after just one season.
