Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti is reportedly keen on signing AC Milan captain Alessio Romagnoli, a target for Barcelona.
According to a report by Catalan outlet El Nacional, Carlo Ancelotti is eager to bring Alessio Romagnoli to Real Madrid on a Bosman move in the summer transfer window. The AC Milan captain is also a target for Los Blancos’ arch-rivals Barcelona.
Alessio Romagnoli has established himself as one of the best defenders in Serie A since joining AC Milan from AS Roma in August 2015. The Italian international has been the club captain for the Rossoneri for several years now, but his position has been under threat since Fikayo Tomori’s arrival last year.
Romagnoli has made 239 appearances for AC Milan to date, but his future at San Siro is shrouded in uncertainty. The 26-year-old is in the final year of his current contract with the Serie A giants, and developments on the renewal front have been eerily slow. Such a situation has captured the attention of Barcelona and Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti.
The Catalan giants hold a long-standing interest in Romagnoli but have never gotten around launching the offensive for him. The Italian defender is a viable target for Barcelona, as Gerard Pique is in the twilight of his career, while Samuel Umtiti is deemed surplus to requirements.
With Eric Garcia and Clement Lenglet struggling to perform consistently, Barcelona must sign a centre-back for the second successive summer transfer window. However, the Blaugrana will need to fend off competition from Real Madrid in the race to sign Romagnoli.
The Merengues could enter the transfer market for a central defender in the summer as there is very little quality beyond Eder Militao and David Alaba. With Nacho a backup option at best and Jesus Vallejo not preferred by Carlo Ancelotti, the Real Madrid boss is keen on bringing a centre-back into his squad. To that end, Merih Demiral has been heavily linked with Real Madrid of late.
But Ancelotti’s preference would be signing Romagnoli, with the Real Madrid manager requesting Florentino Perez to enter the race to secure his services. However, till that happens, Barcelona will be the front-runners in the race to land the AC Milan captain.
