Manchester United are ready to wait until the summer to move for Roma’s Lorenzo Pellegrini — after discovering they can trigger a £26.5million clause in the midfielder’s contract.
United have been monitoring the 22-year-old after Jose Mourinho was told the club would only contemplate bringing in young players with a potential sell-on value.
They were looking to seal a deal in the looming January window, but are now aware Pellegrini will be available at a bargain price come the end of the season.
Roma have been desperately trying to persuade Pellegrini to sign a new deal, so that they can remove the buy-out option.
The midfielder has been capped nine times by Italy and is regarded as one of the Azzurri’s hottest prospects.
Ironically, while United are circling Roma for one of their up-and-coming stars, the Italians are ready to offer Old Trafford veteran Ashley Young a Serie A swansong.
Young, 33, is out of contract at the end of the season and Roma are ready to hand him a two-and-a-half-year deal to persuade him to quit Manchester.
Ex-Watford and Aston Villa winger Young has reinvented himself as a full-back under Mourinho, and the Reds are ready to offer the former England international a 12-month deal that would extend his stay at Old Trafford to nine years.
Young has suggested he is willing to take a pay-cut to make such a deal happen, but the prospect of playing abroad – in addition to a longer contract – will be tempting.
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As revealed by Sunday Mirror Sport in October, United are facing a contract time-bomb, with 11 players moving towards the last six months of current deals.
David de Gea, Anthony Martial, Chris Smalling, Antonio Valencia, Phil Jones, Matteo Darmian, James Wilson and Andreas Pereira all have deals that include the option of a 12-month extension, but Young, Juan Mata and Andreas Herrera can all walk away at the end of the season.
Martial and De Gea are also generating interest from Italy.
AC Milan are the latest club to put Martial on a wishlist. They will have FFP restrictions lifted next summer and are ready to invest up to £70million.
Champions Juventus are long-term admirers of De Gea, and curently have ex-Arsenal No1 Wojciech Szsczesny in goal following the departure of legend Gigi Buffon to French giants Paris Saint-Germain last summer.
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