Roma are keen for Lorenzo Pellegrini to sign a new deal at the club as they look to fend off interest from Tottenham.
Spurs boss Nuno Espirito Santo and general manager Fabio Paratici have both been working hard to secure a number of new arrivals in north London this summer, with discussions over deals for Cristian Romero, Bryan Gil, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Pierluigi Gollini all understood to be ongoing.
Central midfield is just one of many areas Nuno is determined to strengthen over the coming weeks, with Roma's Pellegrini emerging as a potential target.
The Italy international's current contract contains a €30m (£25.6m) release clause - meaning Spurs wouldn't have to break the bank to secure his signature - but Roma are determined to keep hold of their man and Sky Sport Italia (via Football Italia) report that contact has been made with the player's agent to begin talks over a new deal.
Not only will any new contract almost definitely see the removal of such a relatively low release clause, it will also mean the Serie A outfit are under no pressure to sell the midfielder.
Pellegrini currently only has one year remaining on his deal with I Giallorossi and so they could be forced into selling the 25-year-old to avoid losing him on a free next summer. Should a contract agreement be reached between the two parties, however, Roma would hold the cards if Spurs decide to follow up on their initial interest.
News of Roma's intention to tie Pellegrini down will come as a blow to Nuno and Paratici, and it's not the only setback the pair have suffered recently in their quest to add quality to the Spurs midfield.
Houssem Aouar is another player on Tottenham's radar this summer, with the one-cap France international rumoured to be available for as little as €25m (£21.3m) despite Lyon valuing their midfielder at €40m (£34.2m) last year.
Les Gones are looking to offload Aouar in the coming weeks in a bid to generate transfer funds - yet their need to sell may not be as great as first suspected. French news outlet Le 10 Sport claim that the midfielder's price tag has now been raised to €35m (£30m), meaning Daniel Levy will be required to dig a little deeper into his pockets if he's to sign the talented Frenchman.
This article was originally published on 90min as Roma open contract negotiations with Lorenzo Pellegrini amid Tottenham interest.
Source: www.90min.com