Mourinho planning Roma raid of former Prem clubs
Jose Mourinho is planning to improve his AS Roma team by raiding two of his former Premier League clubs, according to reports.
The 58-year-old joined the Serie A outfit after being sacked by Tottenham in April 2021.
His side are currently fourth in the league, winning six of their opening 11 matches.
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Roma signed Tammy Abraham from Chelsea in the summer for around £34million – and they could go back to the Blues for Antonio Rudiger and Ruben Loftus-Cheek, according to Corriere dello Sport.
On top of that, they say Mourinho is interested in Spurs midfielder Harry Winks.
Rudiger is out of contract next summer, with interest thought to be very high in the defender, so Roma may struggle to get their former player.
His contract situation also suggests they will not make an attempt to sign him until he is available on a free transfer.
However, Loftus-Cheek and Winks are not consistently in their team’s starting XI, so they may be open to leaving.
The Chelsea man did, however, start for the Blues against Malmo on Tuesday evening.
It was his first start in the Champions League since 2015, and he put in an excellent display next to Jorginho.
Before the match, Rio Ferdinand likened the 25-year-old to Manchester City legend Yaya Toure.
Toure spent eight years at the Etihad, making over 300 appearances and winning three Premier League titles plus an FA Cup.
The former Manchester United defender said: “I love him (Loftus-Cheek).
“I’ve always known about him from friends at Chelsea.
“He’s a fantastic specimen, first and foremost. I liken him, in full flow, to someone like Yaya Toure.
“He can intimidate players. When he turns and goes full pelt, it’s unplayable at times. As a centre back that’s one of your biggest fears.
“He’s a fantastic talent. He’s as comfortable in the wide areas of a front three as he is in front of the defence. You don’t get that with many players. The strings he has to his bow are beautiful.”