Transfer News: Barcelona lining up Alessio Romagnoli swoop

Barcelona have reportedly reignited their interest in 26-year-old Italian international Alessio Romagnoli, who could leave AC Milan this summer.

According to a report by Spanish publication SPORT, Barcelona have set their sights on Alessio Romagnoli over a move in the summer transfer window. A deal, though, will only have to be in part-exchange form amid the financial troubles being faced by both the Blaugrana as well as AC Milan.

Alessio Romagnoli joined AC Milan from AS Roma in the summer of 2015 and has since come a long way in his career. Now the club captain for the Rossoneri, the 26-year-old is widely regarded as one of the best defenders in Serie A. However, 2020/21 was a season to forget for the Italian international, who fell down the pecking order following the arrival of Fikayo Tomori.

With the English defender joining AC Milan on a permanent deal, Romagnoli’s prospects for the upcoming season have surely taken a hit. And as per widespread reports, a move away from San Siro could well be on the cards for the player, who is being courted by Barcelona this summer.

Barcelona have already bolstered their defence this summer by signing Eric Garcia on a Bosman move. However, with both Clement Lenglet and Samuel Umtiti facing an uncertain future at Camp Nou, the Catalan giants need to be on the lookout for a left-footed centre-back.

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To that end, Barcelona have been linked with a number of central defenders who fit the bill, including Mario Hermoso most recently. And it now looks like the Blaugrana have set their sights back on Alessio Romagnoli, with a summer move being considered for the Italian international.

As per the report, Barcelona are the best placed club to sign the 26-year-old, although any move will have to be in part-exchange form, wherein they can take advantage of Milan’s interest in Miralem Pjanic and Philippe Coutinho.

Indeed, neither Barcelona nor Milan can afford to shell out big bucks on players right now so a straight swap or a player-plus-cash deal will work wonders for them. What now remains to be seen is if the Catalan outfit can engineer a deal that works to the liking of both the clubs as they look to secure the services of Romagnoli.