Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly made a move to hijack West Ham United’s deal to sign Lorenzo Pellegrini, as per Italian outlet Corriere dello Sport.
The 29-year-old ranked through the Giallorossi’s youth system before joining Sassuolo a decade ago. They included a buyback clause in the deal and exercised it a couple of years later.
The Italian has been a key player for his boyhood club over the years and has been the club captain, helping his side win the Conference League. However, he has entered the final year of his current contract, so his long-term future at Stadio Olímpico is currently uncertain.
Corriere dello Sport claim that an agreement regarding a new deal hasn’t been reached yet between the midfielder and Roma, allowing other clubs to make a move for him.
West Ham have been in contact to sign the experienced player since the start of this month and are planning to step up efforts to seal the deal. However, Tottenham have held talks to hijack the Hammers’ deal, although Spurs have only made contact to enquire about the details of signing him.
If Tottenham or West Ham fail to sign him this summer, they could have another opportunity in January to secure his services through a pre-contract agreement – provided his contractual situation remains unchanged.
Battle
Pellegrini is a CAM by trait but is also comfortable in the box-to-box role. He is comfortable with both feet and is efficient in threading passes between the lines; moreover, he is excellent at taking set pieces.
Following a disappointing start to this season, West Ham are scrambling to reinforce the squad before the September 1st deadline to turn the situation around.
On the other hand, Spurs are keen on purchasing a new CAM following James Maddison’s serious knee injury. They have been working on a deal to sign Eberechi Eze from Crystal Palace, but are interested in Pellegrini as well.