José Mourinho’s AS Roma exploring Ruben Loftus-Cheek loan option — report

With Chelsea apparently focused on bringing Atlético Madrid’s Saúl Ñiguez to Stamford Bridge, the fates of other midfielders on the fringes of the first-team might be sealed. One of those is of course Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who spent last season on loan at Fulham and is now garnering some interest from Rome, and this time from the red side, as per a report from Corriere dello Sport.

The report claims that Loftus-Cheek would be available to José Mourinho, who gave him his professional debut at the end of the 2014-15 season, on a loan deal including a €16m buy-option. But Ruben is just one of several names on Roma’s midfield shortlist, which also includes Borussia Mönchengladbach’s Denis Zakaria, Fulham’s André-Frank Zambo Anguissa and Barcelona’s Miralem Pjanić. Roma are also looking to offload one from Gonzalo Villar and Amadou Diawara before making a move for a new midfielder, according to Gazzetta dello Sport.

One advantage RLC would have over the other options is in terms of finances, with Gladbach asking €20m for Zakaria and Pjanić’s €6m annual wages extremely difficult for Roma to afford. Loftus-Cheek’s prior relationship with Mourinho, not to mention record-signing Tammy Abraham, could be very helpful as well.

Loftus-Cheek, still just 25, has three years left on his Chelsea contract, which does give him at least one more season to try to rediscover the promise he once held, before his devastating Achilles injury two years ago...

Photo by AMA/Corbis via Getty Images