Alessio Romagnoli could be exactly what Manchester United need
According to Calciomercato, Manchester United, Chelsea and Juventus are set to ignite a bidding war for AC Milan’s Alessio Romagnoli in the summer.
Romagnoli, 24, is a Roma youth graduate who plays as a left-sided center back for Milan.
At just the age of 17, he made his debut for Roma against Atalanta in the Coppa Italia in December 2012, and later faced his future employers in the Serie A less than 2 weeks later.
In spite of making a very impressive start to his career in Rome, Romagnoli was loaned out to Sampdoria in 2014, where he caught the eye of several clubs in Italy with his performances.
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Milan eventually came knocking a year later, and he was signed by them for €25 million. He wasted no time in establishing himself at the San Siro, and has been a regular starter for three-and-a-half seasons now.
Romagnoli’s style of play has evoked comparisons to Alessandro Nesta. He’s known for his technique, distribution, aerial strength, and decision-making. His abilities on the ball also allow him to play at left back.
While Manchester United have improved tremendously in defense under Ole Gunnar Solksjaer, it comes as no surprise that the Mancunians are still in the market for a center back.
Victor Lindelof is arguably United’s only world-class defender at the moment. Chris Smalling and Phil Jones are decent backup options, but are too erratic and the latter is injury-prone.
While Eric Bailly still shows tremendous potential, he tends to be too rash in his challenges and is yet to develop the maturity required to play regularly in the Premier League.
Romagnoli has all the qualities to succeed in the English top flight. It’s no wonder that Juventus are also interested in him – he’d be an ideal long-term replacement for Giorgio Chiellini.
A total squad re-haul is inevitable in the summer, and Romagnoli could be the perfect partner for Lindelof.
Both of them are capable of playing out from the back, a trait that is essential in Solksjaer’s system, and have sufficient experience to form the spine of a defense that can mount a challenge for the league title.
In addition, Romagnoli is left-footed, an option that the Red Devils do not currently possess in central defense (without considering the injured Marcos Rojo, who will probably depart in the summer).
But Milan are unlikely to let him go easily. The forgotten giants of Italian football have improved considerably under Gennaro Gattuso, and are currently on a 7 match unbeaten run. They’re also through to the semi finals of the Coppa Italia.
Milan are also in prime position to secure Champions League football next season. While United have every chance of doing so as well, their recent spate of injuries could throw a spanner in the works.
Next. Gomez would be a strange purchase for Tottenham. dark
It’s inevitable that Romagnoli will try to leave Milan in the next couple of years in search of silverware. When he eventually does, Ed Woodward should have his checkbook ready.