Jittery Mourinho calls to reassure Tottenham target with bargain release clause
Jose Mourinho has reportedly called Lorenzo Pellegrini privately to persuade him to sign a new deal that will eradicate his ridiculously low release clause.
Pellegrini is now on the radar of Spurs, as well as Liverpool, who are hunting for Gini Wijnaldum’s successor.
That is down to the arrival of former Juventus man Fabio Paratici as football managing director. Next in the door will be a new manager with Paratici hammering out a deal for ormer Roma boss Paulo Fonseca.
And Il Messaggero states that Fonseca wants Pellegrini as one of his first signings at Spurs.
The Portuguese boss knows Pellegrini well from their time together in Rome.
He was a favourite of Fonseca’s, probably due to the 11 goals and nine assists from 47 appearances for Roma last season. In fact he considers Pellegrini “the best midfielder in Italy”.
Gazzetta dello Sport via Sport Witness report the “interest of Liverpool and Tottenham is emerging”.
That has led new boss Mourinho to call Pellegrini. Worried about the talk from Spurs, the old Tottenham boss has been in contact to make Pellegrini “feel important”.
Roma do not believe Rome-born Pellegrini will be “rude” enough to run down his deal and leave for free. He is under contract until 2022 in his second spell with the Giallorossi.
Per the source, it’s hoped Pellegrini will sign a new deal until 2025 this summer. A new contract that will remove the bizarrely low release clause of €30m in his current contract.
Roma are not said to be majorly concerned Pellegrini will leave and are hopeful his allegiance to Roma will see him pen a new deal. However, a “monster offer” could scupper their plans. Then the lure of a bigger salary under a familiar face at Tottenham maybe too good to refuse.
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Brighton close on Spurs target
Meanwhile, Brighton appear to have beaten Leeds United and Tottenham Hotspur to the signing of Nicolas Gonzalez after agreeing a fee for the Stuttgart winger.
Argentine forward Gonzalez has been with Stuttgart since 2018. In that time, he has scored 23 goals from 79 appearances. Even though he remains under contract until 2024, it seems a move to the Premier League now beckons. But the specific destination comes as something of a surprise.
Back in March, he was mentioned as a potential successor to Gareth Bale for Tottenham. Bale is only on loan from Real Madrid and has hinted he intends to see out his contract in Spain next season.
Gonzalez could fill the void that the winger will leave, with reports earlier this week suggesting that they were ready to make an offer.
They were rivalling Fiorentina for his signature, while Leeds were also potential suitors.
But instead, all those clubs look to have missed out to Brighton. According to The Guardian, the Seagulls have agreed a club-record fee with Stuttgart to sign the 23-year-old. The transfer will cost around £25m up front, plus bonuses.
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