Krishnan Sreekumar
Manchester United midfielder Jesse Lingard picks up interest from Serie A clubs despite Premier League preference
According to Italian journalist Rudy Galetti on Twitter (h/t The Sun), Manchester United midfielder Jesse Lingard has picked up interest from four different Serie A sides ahead of the upcoming summer transfer window.
Lingard sees his current contract with his boyhood club expire at the end of the season, making him a free agent in the summer. As such, he is free to speak to foreign clubs regarding a pre-contract agreement that he may choose to sign.
Thus far, the player has not shown any indication that he would be keen to extend his stay in Manchester beyond the summer. With one game to go in the current campaign, we may just have seen the last of the Englishman at Old Trafford.
The 29-year-old is one of the success stories to come out of Carrington, rising through the ranks at the academy and then breaking into the first team when Louis van Gaal was in charge. Since then, he has been a regular feature in the English side’s matchday squads.
Four Italian giants keen on Lingard
However, he has fallen down the pecking order at the club in recent years, which could prompt an exit at the end of the season. Given that he is available for free, Galetti has revealed transfer interest for the player from four Italian giants, with Juventus, Inter Milan, AS Roma, and AC Milan keen on signing the midfielder.
That said, the England international would prefer a move to a Premier League club in order to stay in the top flight and continue his career in his native country. He has turned out for West Ham United in the past, spending the second half of the previous campaign on loan with the Hammers.
After establishing himself in the senior side and enjoying a good run with the first team, Lingard’s impact on the team has since been subdued. A few underwhelming performances on the pitch led to him being overlooked in recent years.
The arrival of Bruno Fernandes and the recent rise of Anthony Elanga effectively killed off any chance Lingard had to claim back his place in the team. This has seen him mainly make appearances from the bench this season.
His loan spell at West Ham in the previous campaign was an opportunity for him to prove that he still had much to deliver, and he grabbed it with both hands. He was critical to the Hammers’ wins in the second half of the season, helping them claim a place in the Europa League this term.
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However, that would not be enough to help him win back his place at United. Now, it seems that his chapter in England has come to a close, and a new life may begin in Italy. Only time will tell if he is tempted by the move abroad, or continues to stick by his preference to remain in the Premier League.
Fikayo Tomori at AC Milan and Tammy Abraham at AS Roma are two of the most recent examples of English PL players going to Italy and succeeding there. Whether Lingard follows suit is something only time can tell.
