According to ESPN, Manchester United are considering a possible summer move for AC Milan captain Alessandro Romagnoli.
Romagnoli is said to have been identified as United look for a left-footed centre-back to add competition and balance to the squad.
ESPN also claimed Romagnoli was a target in late 2018, during Jose Mourinho’s final months as manager.
Romagnoli a key part of Milan’s side, for now
Romagnoli is AC Milan’s captain and he has made 31 starts for the club this season.
He is forging a partnership with Danish defender Simon Kjaer which has begun to look impressive as of late.
AC Milan have though just appointed Ralf Rangnick to take charge as manager for the beginning of the 2020/21 season, The Guardian report.
Big changes are likely coming for Milan, although it is unclear whether Romagnoli’s future is up for discussion.
On one hand it is a dangerous call for a new manager to sell a captain who has just made his 150th club appearance at just 25.
Yet on the other hand, Rangnick will have fresh ideas, and selling the captain and bringing in his own man is one way to signal his intent to kick off a new era at a club which like United, has languished behind it’s former glory for too long.
Even just last night, The Sun reported Milan’s desire to bring in a new centre-back, with Rangnick reportedly eyeing up Celtic’s Kristoffer Ajer.
A big list of famous admirers
Paolo Maldini previously told AC Milan Info that he was impressed by the way Romagnoli had taken on the captaincy at a young age, even though being a vocal leader is not a trait which necessarily comes naturally to him.
He said: “He is a quiet player, at the age of 23 I was not ready to have the captain armband. At that age I was struggling to transmit certain things. A very rapid growth is needed from this team and he has grown a lot from this point of view.”
Franco Baresi told Sportal: “He is one of the strongest talents in our league and has the right personality and is young: I believe he has an important future ahead.”
Alessandro Nesta was quoted by AC Milan Spot: “The national team is in need of good players. Romagnoli is a good boy. I hope he will become the best in the world.”
Serginho told Sempre Milan: “He’s a great defender and he’s growing a lot. [He and Nesta] have different characteristics but they are both great defenders. Alessio is young, he can grow to become as good as Nesta and Maldini.”
So there is a lot of discussion about potential here. Perhaps Alessandro Costacurta said it best when he said Romagnoli just needed better teammates around him, amid a tough period for Milan.
He previously told the Rossoneri Blog: “Take Alessio Romagnoli. If he had Franco Baresi, Paolo Maldini and myself next to him then he certainly would’ve been among the best U23 players in the world. But [in this team] he is not being helped.”
So would he fit in at Manchester United?
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is keen to sign players with strong characters who will give their all for the team.
Nobody can doubt Romagnoli’s commitment to Milan over the past five years, and he would bring this with him to Old Trafford. Leaving the pressure of Milan behind may actually be good for him.
Unlike some centre-backs at United, Romagnoli is not injury prone. The lowest number of league starts he has made in any Serie A season over the past five years is 27.
Another of Romagnoli’s strengths is his willingness to play the ball out of defence. This fits in with Solskjaer’s philosophy, with Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof both playing this way.
He averages a chance created every three games, a good figure for a centre-back, with his pass completion rate at 90 per cent.
It would be a big call for Milan to let him go, but if United want a leader who fits Solskjaer’s style, there is a clearer pathway for Romagnoli to make a move this summer than in any recent transfer windows with Milan’s new Rangnick era creating an aspect of uncertainty.
There is an argument that a player like Nathan Ake would be a safer bet because he knows the Premier League and he may be more willing to accept a squad role.
But if United are willing to think outside the box as reported interest suggests, Romagnoli will certainly make the club’s defensive options stronger.
- How people inside Man Utd are now feeling about the transfer window
- Portuguese press react to Bruno Fernandes’ performance vs DR Congo, unexpected point made
- Marcus Rashford has just matched Sir Bobby Charlton record for England
- How Marcus Rashford fared for England in 4-2 World Cup win vs Croatia
- How Bruno Fernandes fared in Portugal’s 1-1 draw against DR Congo
- Tom Heaton tips resilient Harry Maguire to bounce back from England snub
- ‘Rejected’… Ruben Amorim suffers major blow as AC Milan deal for key addition collapses already
- What sources close to Patrick Dorgu are now saying about his long-term future for Man Utd
- Kobbie Mainoo says England are about to face a player Casemiro speaks so highly about, ‘Pedestal…’
Receive a digest of our best United content each week direct to your mailbox
