Roma pull plug on planned January sale of midfield star to Man Utd

Manchester United’s plans to sign Roma midfielder Lorenzo Pellegrini appear to be over after the Italian outfit agreed to sell Kevin Strootman instead.

Strootman has been a target for United in the past but it would now seem that he is on his way to Marseille in a €25million deal.

The sale of the Dutchman is bad news for Jose Mourinho, as a deal was believed to be in place for United to land his central midfield partner Pellegrini in the new year.

With Radja Nainggolan already gone and Strootman on his way, Roma will not part company with Pellegrini any time soon – according to the report on Calciomercato.

The news will come as yet another blow to the beleaguered United chief, who missed out on a number of his top transfer targets this summer.

However, despite an inconsistent start to the new season – Mourinho firmly believes that he has the answer to his side’s struggles.

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