Currently sat in sixth place in the Serie A table despite Romelu Lukaku’s brilliant goals return this season, Roma remain a huge 16 points behind Inter at the top.
With the second worst goals against record in the top six, it’s clear as to why Jose Mourinho may be looking for a new defender to shore things up at the back.
Although there appeared to be rumours that the Special one was going to plunder his old side, Chelsea, this would see, to be wide of the mark.
“I’m not aware of any deal between Roma and Trevoh Chalobah now to be honest. Let’s see if the Serie A club will bid for him but as of today, I’m not aware of negotiations or contacts,” Fabrizio Romano said in his Daily Briefing for CaughtOffside.
“I think Premier League clubs will enter the race for Chalobah, but probably later in the window as he’s just returning to the training pitch now after a long injury.”
January always does represent a good time for opportunities to arise in the marketplace, and if clubs buy well, the transfers could often be a difference maker in the second half of a season.
To that end, news that the experienced Leonardo Bonucci has been offered to the Giallorossi may excite fans of the club.
“Leonardo Bonucci has been offered to Roma as an opportunity in January, and as he’d love to go to Euro 2024, playing for Roma would help a lot. However, Roma haven’t decided yet which player they want to sign in that position,” Romano confirmed.
However, the Stadio Olimpico faithful don’t want to get too excited about the ex-Juventus man at this point, as there could be a surprise addition in his stead.
“Bonucci is available as an option but he’s not the only one, as West Ham’s Thilo Kehrer has also been offered to the Giallorossi,” Romano noted.
Kehrer, signed by the Hammers for £10.1m from PSG (The Guardian, subscription required), could represent much better value for money in the longer term, given that he’s nine years younger than his contemporary.