Tottenham transfers: Spurs happy to pay £25.8m to land player Fonseca has worked with before | OneFootball

Tottenham are prepared to activate Roma midfielder Lorenzo Pellegrini's release clause this summer, as revealed by Calciomercato.

Pellegrini, who was also born in Rome, is currently in negotiations with the Italian side as he is set to enter the final year of his contract.

However, an agreement is yet to be reached between the two parties, and there are two Premier League clubs willing to pay his release clause of €30m (£25.8m) in order to tempt him over to England.

Tottenham are one of the clubs who are happy to match Pellegrini's release clause, along with Liverpool, suggesting that a move to the Premier League could be on the cards for the 24-year-old.

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What were Pellegrini's stats in 2020/21?

Pellegrini featured in 34 league matches for Roma in 2020/21, registering seven goals and six assists across the course of the campaign.

As per WhoScored, he provided more key passes (65) than any of his teammates, and received the second-highest WhoScored match rating at Roma, earning a mark of 7.23. To put this into context, only Harry Kane (7.79), Gareth Bale (7.3) and Son Heung-min (7.27) received higher scores for Tottenham.

Pellegrini's performances earned him a call-up for this summer's Euros, but his chance to play in a major international tournament was cruelly snatched away from him when he was forced to drop out of the squad due to injury last week.

What did Fonseca say about Pellegrini?

Pellegrini played under Paulo Fonseca for two years at Roma, and the pair could be reunited next year as the Portuguese coach is close to being appointed Spurs' next manager.

Back in 2019, Fonseca hailed Pellegrini's development at Roma. As quoted by Football Italia, Fonseca said of Pellegrini: "He is a very intelligent player who looks for the right spaces, the right time to pass, and is so good at choosing the right option. It’s impressive, especially for one so young.”

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Would Jose Mourinho be disappointed to lose Pellegrini to Tottenham?

Absolutely. He wouldn't be happy at all.

Roma finished down in seventh in Serie A this term, suggesting that Mourinho has a difficult job on his hands when he officially takes over at the club next month.

If he is to succeed at Roma, Mourinho will need to keep his best players, and Pellegrini is certainly one of them.

The 17-cap international was one of the side's shining lights in 2020/21, and he took on the captain's armband in the second half of the season, highlighting that he is an important figure at the club now.

Therefore, given Pellegrini's quality and his leadership role within the squad, it would be a blow if Roma lose him to Spurs this summer, and a major setback for Mourinho to have to deal with early on in his tenure.