Pellegrini’s agent responds to Man Utd transfer reports

Joe Williams

Lorenzo Pellegrini’s agent has spoken out to distance his client from reports suggesting he could be set to leave Roma and join Manchester United in January.

The 22-year-old’s future has been speculated on in recent months and his agent Giampiero Pocetta has had his say without actually clearing anything up.

“If I have to talk about Lorenzo right now the only thing I can talk about is his extraordinary form,” Giampiero Pocetta told Corriere dello Sport. “He’s getting what he deserves on the pitch, and the rumours about the transfer market have never distracted him nor disturbed him.

“Manchester United? I’m sorry that rumours have spread about financial aspects relating to him and his team-mates. It doesn’t matter for Lorenzo. He doesn’t live for meetings, especially financial ones.”

Earlier this month Calciomercato claimed Manchester United could make a fresh play to sign Pellegrini in January.

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The 22-year-old was linked with a move to United over the summer, but they put their interest on the backburner as they pursued their chase for Lazio’s Sergej Milinkovic-Savic.

The Italian outlet reckoned Jose Mourinho is warming to the idea of signing Pellegrini, who has a clause in his contract allowing him to move for just €30m.

Roma were understood to have offered him a new contract, despute being tied to the club until 2022, with the aim of increasing his release clause.

Pellegrini came through the Rome club’s academy before spending two years at Sassuolo, under the guidance of Eusebio Di Francesco.

He made his professional debut in March 2015 at the age of just 18, but was allowed to leave that summer with a buy-back clause of £8.8million.

Pellegrini scored 11 goals in over 50 appearances at Sassuolo before Roma exercised the terms to re-sign him.