Bharath Rammr
Just a few days after Manchester United were linked with highly rated Atletico Madrid centre-back Jose Gimenez, fresh reports have emerged linking the Red Devils with a move for Roma defender Antonio Rudiger. United are not the only club prepared to make an offer for the 23-year-old come January.
Chelsea are also thought to be in the race for the defender, who moved to the Italian capital only in the summer for £12 million. Roma did not make the transfer without taking a good look at the player, as he spent the previous season on loan at the Stadio Olimpico.
The German international had been playing his entire football in the Bundesliga with VFB Stuttgart. After making his debut for the German outfit in 2012, he went on to represent them for three more years before moving to Roma.
Since making his debut for the German national team back in 2014, Rudiger has 11 international caps up until now. However, the player says that he is feeling quite happy at Roma and is not looking for a move at the moment. It would seem understandable given that Rudiger is only starting to settle at Roma and a move will see him once again go through the settling-in process. According to Metro, he said:
“There’s a lot of talk about changes in the squad, but I’m really happy to play for Roma. I’m not bothered about transfer rumours.
“In the end, I’m happy to be healthy again. It wasn’t easy but now I can play again. I’m ready to play [on Thursday]. I hope for the best, but it’s the coach’s decision in the end.”
Rudi Garcia was the manager of Roma when Rudiger was brought to the club on a loan deal. He was one of the important defenders last season and he racked up 30 appearances. It was a major factor in persuading Roma to come up with the £12 million transfer in the summer.
A cruciate ligament injury has seen him miss the campaign up until now. After having just returned to the first-team action, he was recently seen in the 4-2 win over Austria Wien in the Europa League.
Roma are hoping that the player will turn out to be an important name in the squad as they look to capitalise on the absence of the Milan clubs near the top of the table. Roma and Napoli have emerged as the alternatives for Inter Milan and AC Milan. Challenging Juventus, though, requires a different sort of squad and consistency levels.
Roma have just not been able to find those elements even after the return of Spalletti in the summer. Unbeaten in the last eight games, Roma have managed to stay within touching distance of Juventus.
Manchester United are very keen on strengthening their central defence. After having found an excellent player in the form of Eric Bailly, Jose Mourinho is intent on adding someone who can complement the Ivory Coast international.
