Arsenal are interested in AS Roma midfielder Lorenzo Pellegrini, according to a report, but they aren’t the only club in the race.
Rome-based journalist Damiano Er Faina reports that AS Roma’s Lorenzo Pellegrini is of interest to Arsenal, but AC Milan have also made an enquiry for the 28-year-old.
Pellegrini has captained Roma on a number of occasions this season, but he’s seemingly fallen out of favour since his minor muscle injury in mid-November.
Before that game, the Italian international had started nine of Roma’s 11 Serie A matches, coming off the bench in the other two. But since his return from injury he’s made just one start in six league games and he hasn’t been used at all in half of those matches.
It’s not that Pellegrini isn’t fit to play, as he proved by starting and scoring in Roma’s Europa League game against SC Braga earlier this month. But in the league, he’s becoming a fringe player, perhaps prompting this latest transfer interest.
Arsenal have long been linked with Pellegrini, with reports dating back to before Mikel Arteta even joined the club. Six years later, the midfielder remains a Roma player, which makes it hard to get too invested in the latest round of links.
The Gunners are also perhaps more likely to look to make a younger signing in midfield in 2025, given they’ve already got a few older midfielders on the books. It’s the one position in the team that isn’t really in need of adding experience.
Arsenal’s name may just be getting thrown into the mix to help Roma in negotiations with a domestic rival, but we’ll see if anything changes when the January transfer window opens in a couple of days.