Manchester United are reportedly looking to activate the £26.5 million release clause to land AS Roma midfielder Lorenzo Pellegrini next summer.
According to a report by Daily Mirror, Manchester United have turned their attention towards Lorenzo Pellegrini with a view to signing him in next summer’s transfer window. The Premier League heavyweights are prepared to trigger the AS Roma midfielder’s release clause, which is valued at £26.5 million.
Pellegrini has progressed nicely since returning to boyhood club AS Roma from Sassuolo in the summer of 2017. Largely a regular in league football last term, the young midfielder had to bide his time to stake claim in Europe and cup competitions, although he seems to have taken care of that this season.
In all, Pellegrini has featured 14 times for AS Roma this season and is now well established as a regular. However, the Giallorossi are being kept on their toes due to a meager £26.5 million release clause in the 22-year-old’s contract, which has piqued the interest of Manchester United, among other clubs.
The continued interest from Manchester United comes as a bit of a surprise, with Jose Mourinho having a gamut of midfielders at his disposal. So, while Pellegrini could add dynamism in the middle of the park while also facilitating smooth and quick transitions from defence to attack, the Red Devils will perhaps have to offload at least one player to make room for the Italian.
Having said that, both Andreas Pereira and Ander Herrera have recently been linked with a move away from Old Trafford, pending which the said room could be created for Pellegrini. Additionally, the aforementioned £26.5 million release clause makes the Italian midfielder an attractive target for Manchester United, who plan to launch the offensive for him next summer.
The presence of the release clause also takes the decision on Pellegrini’s future out of the hands of AS Roma, who are reportedly attempting to renegotiate the player’s contract so as to remove or increase the amount. However, the Premier League heavyweights will have a tall order in their bid to land him.
The 22-year-old midfielder’s agent recently quashed speculation linking him with an exit from Stadio Olimpico as he said, “Pellegrini is only thinking about improving with and for Roma, I’m sorry that rumours [about Manchester United] have spread about financial aspects relating to him and his team-mates, but it doesn’t matter for Lorenzo.”
Giampiero Pocetta’s comments are damning for Manchester United’s pursuit of Pellegrini, and it will be a tough ask to convince him to swap Stadio Olimpico for Old Trafford. It now remains to be seen if the Red Devils can land the Italian midfielder, or if he remain committed to AS Roma.
