New AS Roma coach Jose Mourinho wants to plunder his former club Manchester United by signing defender Alex Telles on loan this summer, although a deal for the Brazilian is considered “complicated”.
Giallorossi is looking for a temporary replacement for Leonardo Spinazzola after the Italian left-back suffered an injury to his Achilles tendon at Euro 2020 – one that will keep him out of action for much of next season.
And according to Fabrizio Romano, Roma have targeted Man Utd’s excluded Telles and will make a move for the Brazilian in the “coming days”, as Mourinho sees the 28-year-old as the perfect short-term fix to his full-time problem.
Telles is requested by Roma / Catherine Ivill / Getty Images
Romano adds, however, that a move for the former Porto man will be “complicated”, as the Red Devils have not expressed any interest in letting their defender leave before the new campaign. The club’s reluctance to sell means that Telles must force a step through himself if he wants to look for football in the first team.
Telles joined the Red Devils at the start of the 2020/21 campaign, and was seen as the direct replacement for a repressed Luke Shaw. However, England’s defenders hit new heights at Old Trafford, forcing their team-mate to watch from the sidelines for the majority of the campaign.
Shaw’s impressive performance at Euro 2020 indicates that Telles will remain the second choice next season, and he must be content with being a bit of a player under Ole Gunnar Solskjær.
It may convince him to leave the club on loan and prove his worth in Italy, and the prospect of playing under Mourinho in Roma may be appealing to the left-back. However, Man Utd’s frosty relationship with his former coach can cast doubt on the move if they do not want to help the Portuguese boss.
