Roma are keen for Lorenzo Pellegrini to sign a new deal at the club as they want to ward off interest from Tottenham.
Spurs boss Nuno Espirito Santo and general manager Fabio Paratici have both worked hard to secure a number of newcomers to north London this summer, with discussions on offers for Cristian Romero, Bryan Gil, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Pierluigi Gollini all understood to be going on.
Pellegrini has a release clause in her Roma contract / Silvia Lore / Getty Images
Central midfield is just one of many areas that Nuno is determined to strengthen in the coming weeks, with Roma Pellegrini as a potential target.
The Italian international’s current contract includes a release clause of € 30 million (€ 25.6 million) – meaning Spurs do not have to break the bank to secure their signatures – but Roma are determined to keep their man and Sky Sport Italia (via Football Italia) reports that contact has been made with the player’s agent to initiate talks about a new deal.
Not only will a new contract almost definitively remove such a relatively low release clause, it will also mean that the Serie A clothes are not under pressure to sell the midfielder.
Pellegrini currently has only one year left on his deal with I Giallorossi and so they may be forced to sell the 25-year-old to avoid losing him for free next summer. However, if an agreement is reached between the two parties, Roma would hold the cards if Spurs decide to follow up on their original interest.
News of Roma’s intention to tie down Pellegrini will be a blow to Nuno and Paratici, and it’s not the only setback the pair have suffered recently in their quest to add quality to Spurs midfield.
Houssem Aouar is another player on Tottenham’s radar this summer, with the French international with a cap rumored to be available for as little as 25 million euros (21.3 million pounds) despite Lyon valuing his midfielder at 40 million euros (34, £ 2 million) last year.
Les Gones wants to download Aouar in the coming weeks in an attempt to generate means of transmission – but their need to sell may not be as great as first suspected. The French news outlet Le 10 Sport claims that the midfielder’s price tag has now been raised to 35 million euros (30 million pounds), which means that Daniel Levy will have to dig a little deeper into his pockets if he is to sign the talented Frenchman.
