Roma willing to make player swap deal with Chelsea for Cesc Fàbregas' services — report

According to Italian newspaper Il Tempo (via Football Italia), Roma are interested in adding Cesc Fàbregas to their squad and would even be willing to offer one of their own players in return.

The Chelsea midfielder has been linked to various clubs over the past few months (especially AC Milan) due to his reduced role under Antonio Conte, but so far, both the head coach and the player have denied any and all rumors. “Cesc is an important player for us,” reminded Conte once again after Sunday’s win.

This latest Cesc rumour also combines two of the more long-standing Chelsea transfer rumors in Roma midfielder Radja Nainggolan and defender Antonio Rüdiger. The former reportedly remains a Chelsea transfer target for the next transfer window while the latter has gathered interest from other Premier League clubs as well in recent months. Roma, for their part, have denied that either player is leaving anytime soon.

When we also consider that swap deals are a rarity in football, this Fàbregas for Nainggolan or Rüdiger trade becomes even more far-fetched. Of course you never quite know for sure in football, but even if something were to happen, it’s unlikely to be in January.