Lazio manager Maurizio Sarri is reportedly eyeing a raid on former club Chelsea this summer to try take Ruben Loftus-Cheek to Rome.
Sarri, 63, is an Italian boss that spent just one season in charge at Stamford Bridge.
He did manage to win the Europa League during that 2018/19 campaign, as well as get the best out of some individuals. For example, Chelsea’s box-to-box midfielder Loftus-Cheek had arguably his best season to date when working under Sarri in a 4-3-3 system.
According to Corriere dello Sport, Lazio are setting their sights on Loftus-Cheek as a transfer target ahead of next season.
The report explains the 26-year-old could be put up for sale when the summer window opens. Of course, the ownership situation at the Bridge will need to be fixed first.
In addition, it is understood Sarri has thought of Loftus-Cheek as a potential replacement for Lazio midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic.
Loftus-Cheek’s been in and out of the side this season, but Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel did start him on Tuesday night in the dramatic Champions League defeat to Real Madrid.
Tough one for Chelsea
It’s surprised many to see Loftus-Cheek make 31 appearances and counting this season for the Blues.
He’s clearly done enough to impress Tuchel, who trusted him to slot in as a wing-back in Tuesday’s European showdown.
It does still look like he’s a long way off where he was earlier in his career, though, so it feels like a big summer for him.
Perhaps Loftus-Cheek will take confidence from seeing how well the likes of Tammy Abraham and Fikayo Tomori have done since leaving Chelsea for the Italian league.
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