José Mourinho wants Kurt Zouma at AS Roma — report

Rome was not built in a day, but if new head coach José Mourinho has his way, AS Roma will be (re-)built in just one summer.

The likes of David De Gea, Mauro Icardi, Nathan Aké, Eric Dier, Juan Musso, Marcel Sabitzer, Renato Sanches, and Andrea Belotti have already been linked, and the next man on the list is none other than Chelsea’s Kurt Zouma.

The 26-year-old center back, who’s closing in on 150 career appearances for the club, had been a regular during Frank Lampard’s 18 months in charge, but has fallen down the pecking order a bit under Thomas Tuchel — though he has started 5 of our last 8 league games thanks in part to fitness issues for others.

According to Corriere dello Sport (via Sport Witness), the Giallorossi are happy to make a reunion happen between Zouma and the manager who gave him his start at Stamford Bridge in 2014. In fact, Zouma was one of the few bright spots on what turned out to be a most terrible 2015-16 season for all involved including Mourinho.

Unlike most other center backs in the squad, Zouma’s under contract for two more years, but that won’t necessarily protect him should we decide to make some proactive changes to that aspect of the team as well (despite the most excellent defensive record under Tuchel).