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According to The Sun, Manchester United are keen on a move for Roma’s Lorenzo Pellegrini in January as, despite his club’s best attempts to remove it recently, the Italian has a £26m release clause. West Ham would be smart to challenge the Old Trafford outfit for his signature in the new year.
What’s the word?
Well, another transfer window is just around the corner and Mourinho, of course, wants to be backed further in the market as he feels his squad is in dire need of reinforcements.
The Portuguese has identified the midfield as being one of the weakest areas along with central defence, despite the £47m signing of Fred in the summer, and believes that Pellegrini could be the man to make things tick.
Another player that the Red Devils are reportedly considering is West Ham’s Declan Rice, who has been a mainstay in the Hammers lineup this season while impressing with his maturity and composure on the ball. However, the Irishman is stalling over negotiations for a new deal and so his future in claret and blue is uncertain.
Manuel Pellegrini should use this interest to his advantage to secure the services of his namesake in January and quality in the midfield for years to come.
Paving the way to Pellegrini
With Rice delaying over signing a new deal, the London Stadium side should listen to offers from Manchester United and, should they receive one they like, encourage a switch to give themselves their best chance of signing Pellegrini.
The 6ft 2in right-footer has been on fine form for I Giallorossi this season – scoring twice and assisting a further five in 13 appearances in all competitions.
As is the case with many young Italian midfielders, the number 7 is adept at spraying the ball and has completed a magnificent 3.5 key passes per game in the Champions League this season – comparatively, Lionel Messi has executed 3.4 per game in La Liga thus far.
Far from a spectator on the back foot, the starlet also records a solid 1.7 successful tackles per game, owing to his tireless work-rate and box-to-box style.
Capable of playing deep or more advanced in the middle of the park, the former Sassuolo man is versatile and can slot in effectively for the injured Manuel Lanzini in a five-man midfield, or alongside Pedro Obiang in front of the back four.
At £26m, the deal would represent fantastic value for the London club and would enhance the plan for the future that Manuel Pellegrini is implementing; United can offer him far better wages, however, so Rice may hold the key here.
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