Sport has recently reported that Barcelona are well-positioned to sign AC Milan defender Alessio Romagnoli this summer. It is understood that the Italian centre-back does not want to renew his contract at San Siro with his current deal set to run out at the end of next season which could open the door for the Catalan outfit to land him in this off-season (via Sport).
Romagnoli’s Impressive Form At San Siro Last Season
The 26-year-old was a rock at the back for the Milan giants last season when he produced a string of commanding displays at the heart of their defence. Romagnoli participated in 30 matches for the Italian club in the previous campaign across various competitions.
The Italy international performed well to average 0.8 tackles, 1.1 interceptions and 3.5 clearances per 90 minutes in Serie A last season. He was even tidy with his ball distribution after completing 89.6% of his attempted passes in the English top tier (stats via whoscored).
The Anzio-born talent is playing some of the best football of his playing career at the moment. Plus, Romagnoli has got all the skillset required to be a success story in Spanish football, so it makes sense for Barca to orchestrate a move to bring him to the Nou Camp before the start of the new season.
Should The Catalans Get Romagnoli On Board This Summer?
Romagnoli is a moderately-paced defender who can read the danger quickly and loves to make a few crunching tackles to disrupt the opponent’s rhythm in the game. He has got good defensive awareness that helps him to earn possession back for his team on the defensive end of the pitch.
The 12-time Italy international can put his foot through the ball when the opposition are on the front foot and also doesn’t mind putting his body on the line to block a goal-bound shot when needed. Romagnoli is proficient at playing his way out from the back, so he won’t have any trouble settling into Bara’s style of possession-based football.
Hence, Koeman should consider getting Romagnoli on board ahead of the new campaign as he will improve his defensive department significantly this summer. He would serve as an upgrade over Samuel Umtiti and could go on to form a solid defensive partnership with Eric Garcia at Catalonia in the coming seasons. With all things considered, Barca should think about trying everything they can to secure the signature of the AC Milan star during this summer transfer period.
