It’s getting towards that time of year when transfer rumours begin to spread like wildfire in anticipation of the January transfer window. On Monday morning, Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport reported that Manchester United were set to make a bid for young AS Roma midfielder Lorenzo Pellegrini. The English press were quick to catch on of course, and soon enough supporters would have been keen to know everything about this previously little-known player.
The answer begins in the same way as it did for Giallorossi club legends Francesco Totti and Daniele De Rossi, with a Rome-born youngster starting out life in the capital side’s youth sector. Yet unlike those one-club men, Pellegrini would make just one start for the senior side before being sold to Sassuolo in June 2015 for a fee of just €1.25 million.
In Reggio Emilia the midfielder would shine, becoming a first-team regular and the youngest player in Serie A to register more than five goals and five assists in 2016/17, registering six of each for the Neroverdi. Selling him outright would have looked like a huge mistake at this point if Roma hadn’t thought to insert a €10 million buy-back clause in his contract, and it was no surprise when the youngster followed Eusebio Di Francesco – his boss at Sassuolo during his first year at the club – back to the capital.
Indeed, the youngster has proven to be a genuinely versatile asset for the Coach since his return to Roma for the beginning of the 2018/19 campaign. Naturally a central midfielder, Pellegrini has also played a deeper central role, and more recently even utilised as a number ten during a 5-0 victory over Viktoria Plzen in the Champions League.
“I’m delighted for Lorenzo, I really wanted to bring him in from Sassuolo as he developed alongside me there,” the Giallorossi boss admitted after that win. “He’s often played as an attacking midfielder, but I’ve not used him in that position before in a 4-2-3-1 and he’s responded really well there. I hope he can become better than [Radja] Nainggolan. He can cause damage in that position, he looks to play the ball forward and he understands the role superbly. I’m really happy, the lad deserves it.”
His form has clearly caught the eye of international boss Roberto Mancini too, after previous Italy Ct Giampiero Ventura failed to consolidate his place in the senior side, the veteran handing him his first start in an international friendly versus Uruguay in July 2017. Now keen to rebuild a fresh young side, Mancini has tested Pellegrini in the central midfield role for the Azzurri on no less than eight occasions, and the player is clearly in consideration for the long-term future of the team.
Of course, this is exactly why Manchester United have been alerted to the £27 million release clause in the youngster’s contract, but whether Pellegrini will agree to a move remains to be seen. The case of Matteo Darmian at Manchester United – although he plays in a different position – may serve as a warning for the Rome-native, a move to England certainly putting his playing time at risk.
“If I have to talk about Lorenzo right now the only thing I can talk about is his extraordinary form,” his agent Giampiero Pocetta told Corriere dello Sport this week.
“Pellegrini is only thinking about improving with and for Roma. Manchester United? I’m sorry that rumours have spread about financial aspects relating to him and his teammates, it doesn’t matter for Lorenzo. He doesn’t live for meetings, especially financial ones.
“These issues don’t count for now, it’s normal that he is liked. Lorenzo is happy though, he’s already chosen Roma once. Then, when it’s time, we’ll sit down with [sporting director] Monchi again.”
Sadly, for United supporters, it seems as though the rumours may only serve to give the player added bargaining power in negotiating a new contract with Roma. However, previous transfer windows have taught us that anything can happen, and Lorenzo Pellegrini would certainly be a real asset for the Old Trafford outfit.
