Roma are interested in signing Chelsea's Ruben Loftus-Cheek before the end of the summer transfer window.
Jose Mourinho is shaping his squad up nicely in the Italian capital, having already secured the singings of Bryan Reynolds from FC Dallas, Roger Ibanez from Atalanta, Rui Patricio from Wolves, Eldor Shomurodov from Genoa, Matias Vina from Palmeiras and, most recently, Tammy Abraham from Chelsea.
However, Mourinho is not totally satisfied and wants to add some new physicality to his midfield options. According to Corriere dello Sport, the Roma boss is willing to let the likes of Steven Nzonzi and Javier Pastore depart in order to do so, and will look at Loftus-Cheek as an option to buy.
However, the Portuguese mastermind reportedly sees Borussia Monchengladbach's Denis Zakaria as the ideal acquisition for the position, although a deal appears complicated given Gladbach's demands of €20m.
Seeing as the Swiss international's contract runs out next summer, Roma would only be willing to part with €10m-€15m for the player. And, should that deal not come to fruition, it is believed that Mourinho is keen to bring Loftus-Cheek to Serie A.
The 58-year-old gave the Englishman his debut for Chelsea in 2014 and although first-team chances have been hard to come by, Loftus-Cheek has gone on to feature 82 times for the Blues, scoring 12 and assisting 11 in the process.
The 25-year-old has struggled to really break into the side and spent the 2020/21 campaign on loan at Fulham, playing 30 times in the Premier League as the Cottagers were relegated back down to the Championship at the first time of asking.
With the likes of Mateo Kovacic, Jorginho and N'Golo Kante in Thomas Tuchel's ranks it's tough to see Loftus-Cheek getting the opportunities he'd hope for, suggesting a move away to Mourinho's Roma and ending a 17-year affiliation with Chelsea could be the answer to reigniting a career that showed so much promise in its early stages.
Source : 90min