Manchester City Set Sights on Lazio Cornerstone Rovella | OneFootball

Manchester City have reportedly Nicolò Rovella in their crosshairs as they continue to look for a midfielder to replace the injured Rodri. They were previously attached to Samuele Ricci. He recently renewed his contract with Torino, but it doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll stay long-term.

According to Il Messaggero (via Goal), the English powerhouse is willing to put €40M on the table for the 23-year-old. The Biancocelesti are already fairly thin at the position and trying to add to it. Pep Guardiola had sent his scouts to monitor the player when he was on loan at Monza.

Rovella has voiced his long-term commitment to Lazio after bouncing around a few teams in previous years, so the Lazio brass would have to take ownership of the lucrative sale. He’s technically still on loan from Juventus with a €17M obligation to buy.

While the capital club has yet to disburse the sum, it’d still be a significant ‘plusvalenza.’ It’d unjam their window which, like in the past, is moving slowly due to issues with the liquidity index. He has racked up 23 appearances across all competitions this campaign. He debuted with Italy last November against Belgium in the Nations League.

Our Take on Manchester City and Rovella

He’s not on the same level as Ricci, but he’s solid and could easily hang as a rotational piece in a super-duper team. Still, it’s unlikely that Lazio will let go of a linchpin midseason, especially in a role where they have some problems to begin with. Plus, it’s hard to imagine his price is that high.