Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly interested in signing AS Roma defender Gianluca Mancini during the upcoming summer transfer window.
Having spent the entirety of his playing career in Italy, the 26-year-old now could face the chance to start a new chapter in the Premier League playing under his fellow countryman.
According to a recent report from Calcio Mercato (via Sport Witness), Spurs, alongside Antonio Conte’s previous club, Inter Milan, are interested in securing a deal for Mancini.
After initially joining his current side on loan from Atalanta in the 2019 summer transfer window, the centre-back became a permanent fixture at Roma just over a year later.
During his time at the Serie A club, Mancini has made 162 appearances across all competitions, chipping in with eight goals and seven assists.
His latest goal came in Roma’s recent 1-0 win over Juventus, after which Jose Mourinho had this to say about the player:
“Mancini deserves this goal so much. He is playing at a very high level this season. He’s grown as a player and as a man. He has grown in terms of intelligence on the pitch. Last year he had 13-14 yellow cards to his name, this year only four. This year he’s careful, clean, serious. I’m really happy.”
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Having played in all but one of Roma’s games this season, this highlights how important he is for the team and why the club may be reluctant to let him leave.
Across his 25 Serie A appearances, the £110k-per-week Italian has racked up the third-highest average of interceptions (1.4) and clearances per game (1.9) at Roma, as well as the second-highest average of blocks per game (0.4).
Bearing in mind how only seven clubs in the Premier League have conceded more goals this season than Spurs (36), this could be why Conte may want someone with Mancini’s defensive skills in his squad to try and make them a tougher outfit at the back.