Krishnan Sreekumar
Manchester United star Aaron Wan-Bissaka eyed by AS Roma with former Red Devils boss Jose Mourinho keen on the player
According to The Sun, Manchester United defender Aaron Wan-Bissaka has been earmarked as a possible transfer target by AS Roma manager Jose Mourinho, ahead of the upcoming summer transfer window.
Former United boss Mourinho may not have been at the club when Wan-Bissaka was signed from Crystal Palace in 2019, but that has not stopped the Portuguese coach from expressing an interest in signing the player to bolster his defence.
With Chris Smalling already a crucial part of the Roma rearguard, the Italian club could rope in yet another Red Devils player in Wan-Bissaka at the end of the season. The 24-year-old has fallen behind Diogo Dalot in the pecking order at right-back at Old Trafford.
It certainly seems as though the tables have turned, given that Dalot was deemed surplus to requirements last year under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and shipped out on loan to AC Milan for the entire season. The Norwegian coach preferred to use Wan-Bissaka as his first-choice defender on the right flank.
Back to Crystal Palace?
Not just Mourinho and Roma, the Englishman has also caught the attention of Atletico Madrid and his former employers Crystal Palace ahead of the new season. The Spanish club are in need of a new right-back in the summer, after selling Kieran Trippier in the winter transfer window.
Palace, meanwhile, are also looking for defensive reinforcements after an impressive debut season under Patrick Vieira. However, they are only interested in a loan move. In the end, the decision may boil down to incoming new United manager Erik ten Hag, as Wan-Bissaka is said to be waiting to speak to the Dutchman to decide whether his future lies in Manchester.
Things looked very different for the defender last year when he was established as the team’s first-choice right-back and had virtually no competition in the squad, with Dalot out on loan. Solskjaer’s dismissal, however, would change everything.
His successor Ralf Rangnick has preferred to use the more attack-minded Dalot in his system, which has seen Wan-Bissaka warming the bench for most of this season. Even when afforded opportunities, the ex-Eagles defender has failed to prove his worth to the interim manager.
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Atletico and Roma may prove to be ideal destinations for the Englishman, especially Los Colchoneros, who are known for their defensive approach to games. Wan-Bissaka is known for his precise tackles with his long legs, and these foreign teams could breathe new life into the player’s career.
Mourinho pulled off a blinder last summer by recruiting former Chelsea star Tammy Abraham, who has flourished in Serie A this term. Perhaps a move for another Premier League star in Wan-Bissaka could see the former United manager repeat the trick.
