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Manchester United shortlist Roma defender as summer target

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Roma defender Gianluca Mancini emerged as a potential summer target for Manchester United. The Red Devils have been looking for the right partner for Harry Maguire for quite some time now.

The 24-year-old versatile defender made 24 Serie A appearances for the Giallorossi this season. He managed to score 4 goals and assisted twice in the league. Roma bought Mancini permanently for €13 million from Atalanta in 2020 after a loan spell in 2019.

The Italian international has a contract with Paulo Fonseca’s side until the summer of 2024. So, he won’t be a cheap buy for The Red Devils as he was just signed in the summer and is an integral part of the squad.

Will Roma sell Mancini to Manchester United?

Manchester United have been looking to sign a new world-class center-back for some time. They bought Harry Maguire from Leicester City for £80 million. However, the other center-backs at the club haven’t been able to complement the 28-year-old English defender.

Eric Bailly has had his injury issues and he could not stay fit for longer amounts of time. The other center-half Axel Tuanzebe could not find himself playing time, it seems as if the manager Ole Gunnar Solskjær doesn’t trust him. And his first choice Victor Lindelof doesn’t complement Maguire quite well.

So they identified Mancini who could become a perfect defensive partner for Maguire. Mancini mainly plays as a right-sided center-back of back three under Fonseca. The Italian International is currently valued at €30 million.

Keeping in mind that he arrived last summer, Mancini could cost them around €40 million. That is if Roma decides to sell their asset. They are building a strong team for the future to consistently play in the UEFA Champions League. So it is hard to believe that they will sell their star man just after buying him a season ago.

Roma started the season pretty well but they have fallen down heavily from there as they are currently sitting 6th place in Serie A with 50 points in 28 games. But they are still in the UEFA Europa League which could open their path to the champions league if they can win the competition.

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