Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho tracking Roma’s midfield prodigy Lorenzo Pellegrini
MANCHESTER UNITED are tracking Roma's midfield prodigy Lorenzo Pellegrini.
Jose Mourinho's scouts watched the 21-year-old help his side beat Verona 3-0 on Saturday.
And according to claims in Italy, Old Trafford officials contacted Pellegrini's advisors earlier this week to enquire about the Rome-born ace.
The Corriere dello Sport say United have been regularly watching Pellegrini - came through Roma's academy and made his senior debut in 2015.
He has just returned to the Stadio Olimpico from a successful two-year spell on loan to his club's Serie A rivals Sassuolo.
A regular with Italy's youth sides from under-19 level onwards, he won his first senior cap in a World Cup qualifier against Liechtenstein in June.
Roma are aware of growing interest in their young player and tied him down to a new deal over the summer which runs until the end of the 2021-22 season.
The capital city club rate him at £25million, and have made him one of their best-paid players on £35,000 a week.
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That was enough for the midfielder to snub interest from Serie A champions Juventus who wanted to sign him after he impressed while with Sassuolo.
But whether the club can keep hold of their prospect long-term will depend on how close they come to challenging Juve's dominance in Italy.
The Turin club have won the title for the last six seasons and their squad and wealth puts them in a a dominant position compared to their rivals.
AC Milan have received backing from a Chinese investment fund but Roma do not have the same financial power, having to rely on building and improving gradually.
They made encouraging progress last season, finishing runners-up to Juve, but with Milan and Napoli also spending money it is getting increasingly more difficult to compete.
And if they do fall back off the pace over the coming season it would leave them facing a tougher job convincing Pellegrini his long term future should be at his home-town club.
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