Chelsea, Tottenham stars in Mourinho’s sights as Roma boss plans overhaul
Roma boss Jose Mourinho wants to take players from Chelsea and Tottenham over to Italy, according to a report.
Mourinho has regularly spoken about his desire to improve the Roma squad. They have been beaten on four occasions in Serie A already this season, putting them 11 points behind league leaders Napoli.
The Italian outfit were also the subject of a 6-1 thrashing by Norwegian minnows Bodo/Glimt in the Europa Conference League last month. It was the first time a Mourinho side had ever conceded six goals in a single match.
Roma were hoping to avenge that defeat on Thursday evening. But they went 2-1 down in the second half and had to score in the final ten minutes to salvage a point.
It’s clear that several positions need reinforcements if Roma are to challenge for trophies under Mourinho. The Daily Mail, citing reports in the Italian press, now provide an update on his transfer hunt.
They claim that Chelsea man Ruben Loftus-Cheek is under consideration. Mourinho wants the Englishman to provide more creativity in his midfield. He could also form a solid relationship with former team-mate Tammy Abraham, who is now leading Roma’s forward line.
Loftus-Cheek was looking like a squad outcast at the start of the campaign but has since re-emerged. He has managed assists against Southampton and Norwich in the Premier League this season.
The 25-year-old may be tough to prize away from Thomas Tuchel’s clutches. The Blues boss recently said that Loftus-Cheek is ‘too talented’ to simply sit on the bench.
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The other Premier League man being targeted is Tottenham’s Harry Winks. The midfielder was some way off Gareth Southgate’s latest England squad – just 61 minutes of league football have come his way this campaign.
Winks has had to rely on the Europa Conference League for chances to impress. However, he put in sub-par performances against Pacos Ferreira and Vitesse.
He could be the more likely of the two to leave for Italy after his recent comments. The Spurs academy graduate said it was ‘difficult’ to spend so much time on the bench.
Mourinho is not only looking at the Premier League for recruits. The report states that former Arsenal man Dani Ceballos, now of Real Madrid, and Gladbach’s Denis Zakaria are also targets.
Chelsea want ‘Virgil van Dijk mark two’
Meanwhile, Chelsea are planning a January bid for Hungary’s own ‘Virgil van Dijk’.
That man is Attila Szalai, who made three appearances at Euro 2020 as Hungary impressed.
Chelsea are preparing an offer worth £17m ahead of the winter window. Szalai’s current side Fenerbahce are open to a sale as they plan a January transfer spree of their own.
Szalai has previously been a target for Leicester, West Ham and Aston Villa. However, they could not get a deal over the line.
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