Report: Tottenham and Liverpool willing to pay £25m for ‘very intelligent’ Fonseca favourite

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Premier League giants Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur are willing to trigger the £25 million release clause in the contract of Roma captain Lorenzo Pellegrini, as reported by Calciomercato.

Two months after handing Jose Mourinho a freshly-printed P45, could Spurs be about to make his new job that little bit harder?

Italy international Pellegrini is not just Roma’s talismanic captain, he is also a regular source of goals and assists from his advanced midfield role, not to mention the man who sets the tempo with his piercing passing and scampering intensity.

So the concerns over Pellegrini’s future are certainly a distraction Mourinho could do without.

The former Sassuolo play-maker is out of contract in 2022 and, according to Calciomercato, talks over an extension have hit the buffers.  

What’s more, two of the biggest clubs in England – Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool and Mourinho’s old employers – are already planning to trigger his £25 million release clause in an attempt to lure the Azzurri ace to England.

Will Tottenham steal Jose Mourinho’s new Roma captain?

Interestingly, Pellegrini enjoyed the best season of his career under the man who looks set to take Mourinho’s place in the Tottenham dugout.

“He is a very intelligent player who looks for the right spaces, the right time to pass, and is so good at choosing the right option. It’s impressive, especially for one so young,” Paulo Fonseca said of a man who inherited an armband once worn by the legendary Francesco Totti and Daniele de Rossi.

“Lorenzo has a strong character. Pellegrini has all the qualities to become the captain of Roma.”

Having contributed 11 goals and nine assists last season, the arrival of one of Italy’s most gifted midfielders may also raise concerns about the future of Tanguy Ndombele in North London.

The mercurial Frenchman fell out of favour following Mourinho’s departure, with his apparent inability the pace for more than 60 minutes a time undermining his undoubted technical ability.