Why latest Leeds Utd no.10 transfer option is nearing emotional end in Serie A

The attacking midfield position was one that Leeds United wanted to strengthen over the summer, but plans to reinforce the role are having to wait until 2026 – when a once highly rated Serie A midfielder has been touted as the latest option to come in.

Leeds have been hoping to find an upgrade in the No.10 position for some time, with Daniel Farke tending to pack out a midfield three so far this season. Rather than Brenden Aaronson playing in behind a striker like in last season’s system that won promotion, the American player has been featuring on the right wing, with Leeds aiming to utilise a more robust midfield.

This week, rumours have emerged online in Italy that Leeds are in the mix for Lorenzo Pellegrini, who until this summer was the captain of Roma and remains under contract there until the end of the season.

But is Pellegrini a player Leeds could have a genuine chance of signing and how has he ended up in his current situation?

A product of the Roma academy, Pellegrini made his senior debut in 2015 before embarking on a two-year spell with Sassuolo. Ultimately, Roma activated their buyback clause for the midfielder in 2017.

Pellegrini went on to become Roma’s captain in February 2021 and the following season lifted the Europa Conference League trophy as the tournament’s Player of the Season.

But he has come under scrutiny since, suffering from a lack of continuity due to injuries. Over the summer, there was a strong chance he could have left Roma.

Their plans were made clear enough when new coach Gian Piero Gasperini vowed to give the captain’s armband to whichever player had the most appearances for the club. Despite his lengthy service to his hometown team, that still wasn’t Pellegrini by the start of Roma’s new era. The hint was obvious.

Roma became less subtle in their attempts to sell Pellegrini when sporting director Ricky Massara and Gasperini explicitly told the media that the club’s view was to sell the 29-year-old.

However, by the end of the transfer window, Pellegrini remained a Roma player and Gasperini, who never seemed to be driving the decision, accepted the idea of integrating him – for now.

The Italy international will be out of contract with Roma at the end of the season and it’s previously been made clear that the club don’t want to renew his expensive deal, despite having more than 100 goal contributions for them to his name.

Pellegrini sent a reminder of his value by scoring the winning goal in the recent Rome Derby, netting against Lazio for the fourth time in his career. When he did so before in January 2025, it was enough to stave off an exit. But will the same be true this time?

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Where Leeds transfer rumours have come from for Pellegrini

According to a recent report from AS Roma Live, Leeds have added Pellegrini to their shortlist, along with Inter Milan’s Piotr Zielinski.

As stated, there’s a strong chance that Pellegrini will leave Roma in 2026. But whether that will be to Leeds is a different matter.

It’s worth noting that AS Roma Live isn’t one of the main go-to places for Roma fans to get their news. At the time of writing, it only has about 550 followers on X, despite opening its account nearly a decade ago.

Thus, the rumours will need to be taken with a pinch of salt for the time being, until more reputable sources make similar suggestions.

Pellegrini was previously advised by Gasperini in the summer that leaving Roma would help his chances of getting game time before the World Cup, so perhaps he could reassess his future in January. He would likely be available for a cut-price fee.

That’s not to say he’s a finished player, as his recent goal in the derby demonstrated. He’s just someone who, for a variety of reasons, has lost his way.

Some argue he could have been weighed down by the captaincy at Roma. But he has always divided opinion in the capital since his return in 2017.

On his day, Pellegrini can be influential as an attacking midfielder in a 4-2-3-1 system or as one of the no.8s in a 4-3-3 shape like Leeds have been using recently.

At his best, he has a decisive impact in the final third and his commitment can’t be questioned. Consistency is an issue, though, which is part of the reason why he is available.

There will be a lot of hurdles to clear before a move to Leeds can be classed as a possibility or not (and they will equally have to focus on fighting for their Premier League status as he absolutely remains a player you wouldn’t expect to be dropping into the Championship next season) but Pellegrini is the kind of forgotten name for English football fans who should be one to keep an eye on ahead of the next two transfer windows.