Leicester City of England attacker, Kelechi ‘Kelz’ Iheanacho has entered as shock summer transfer radar at AS Roma of Italy, as the Italian Serie A club have placed him in their contingency plan in the market.
Megasportsarena.com reports that information on offer from The Land of The Azzurri indicates that the top-flight club that previously had Umar Sadiq and Nura Abdullahi on their cards are thinking of extending their Nigerian tradition.
With that target in mind, Atalanta have already made a bid to get Tammy Abraham from Chelsea of England but, with that move not nearing any fruition, the next attacker in line as an alternative is Iheanacho.
Details of the report added that Roma are considering making an offer for Iheanacho if they fail to sign Abraham, who has also been touted for a deal with either Arsenal of England or Atalanta of Italy.
Incidentally, the 23-year-old Abraham is currently weighing up his future at Stamford Bridge but he is still stalling on a reported £34m offer from Atalanta.
Abraham has asked for time to consider Atalanta’s offer, thereby paving way for the possibility of a deal at Roma, who are now being handled by former Chelsea coach, Jose Mourinho.
Incidentally, Roma’s general manager, Tiago Pinto met Abraham for talks in London on Thursday, but a number of undercurrents have cast a deal in doubt, thereby paving way for Iheanacho to step into the radar.
The only snag, though, is that, should Roma turn their attention to Iheanacho, the transfer is likely to command a large fee, considering that the Super Eagles’ star signed a new three-year contract with Leicester in April.
The report by Sky Sports adds: “Fellow Serie A side Atalanta and Arsenal are also interested in Abraham, but Chelsea’s preference is to sell him to a foreign club, making a move to their London rivals less likely.
“A source close to the negotiations has told Sky Sports News there is a determination from Roma to conclude a deal and talks are ongoing.
“Abraham fell out of favour at Chelsea midway through last season as Thomas Tuchel replaced Frank Lampard as head coach and was left out of the squad for May’s Champions League final, despite being fully fit.
“The arrival of Romelu Lukaku from Inter Milan is set to push Abraham further down the pecking order and all but end the possibility of him staying at Stamford Bridge.
“Despite his limited game-time during the second half of last season, Abraham ended the campaign as Chelsea’s joint-top scorer with 12 goals.
“Mourinho was in charge at Stamford Bridge as Abraham was coming through the Chelsea academy, but the forward did not make his first senior appearance for the Blues until after the Portuguese had left the club.
“Abraham’s form for Chelsea under Lampard saw him feature for England in Euro 2020 qualifying and in their most recent Nations League campaign but, after a lack of playing time under Tuchel, he drifted out of Gareth Southgate’s plans in the months before this summer’s tournament.”
