Blues join race for highly rated AS Roma star

Blues join race for highly rated AS Roma star

Chelsea have joined the race to sign AS Roma midfielder Alessandro Florenzi.

Gazzetta dello Sport claim the Italy international will leave Rome this summer after a breakdown in negotiations to extend his contract.

Florenzi is reportedly demanding as much as £3.5 million per year in wages in order to extend his deal at the Stadio Olimpico past it’s 2019 expiry date.

Roma are unwilling to match that fee, and will now listen to offers for the 27-year-old in order to avoid losing him on a free.

Juventus and Inter Milan are both thought to be interested in landing the midfielder, however recent reports suggest it is Chelsea who lead the race for his signature, with the Blues boss Antonio Conte keen to bring Florenzi to Stamford Bridge despite doubts over his own future.

It’s said that Chelsea have made an approach and are now waiting for a response over Florenzi’s price-tag.

Florenzi has spent his entire professional career – bar a one-season loan at Crotone in 2011/12 – with Roma, making 223 appearances and scoring 25 goals.