According to reports from The Daily Star this morning, Arsenal and Chelsea are both targeting Roma defender Alessio Romagnoli.
The young centre-back has been compared to former Lazio and AC Milan star Alessandro Nesta, who lifted the World Cup with Italy in 2006 and the Champions League twice during his decade at the San Siro.
The Daily Star claim he’s emerged as a target for Premier League duo Arsenal and Chelsea. They cite talkSPORT in documenting the Gunners’ interest, whilst the Blues attempted to include the 20 year-old in the Stadio Olympico outfit’s deal for winger Mohamed Salah, according reports from the Daily Mail last month.
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And their pursuits of the junior Italy international, who boasts 27 caps for Azzurri across the youth levels, have been made considerably easier by fellow suitors AC Milan dropping out of the race to sign him.
New manager Sinisa Mihajlovic, who oversaw Romagnoli’s development during a 30-game loan spell at Sampdoria last season, was willing to pay as much as £20million for the 6 foot 2 centre-back, but negotiations between the clubs have ground to a halt.
It’s believed Roma want in excess of £25million – but whether Arsenal or Chelsea are willing to meet that valuation remains to be seen.