There have been quite a few instances of Premier League clubs, including Chelsea, trying to sign Daniele De Rossi in the past, but it seems that this summer might be the one that the AS Roma star actually gets his wish of playing in the Premier League.
Last season, according to certain reports, Manchester City made a bid that was accepted for the defensive midfielder, but De Rossi himself declined the opportunity. He grew up in Roma, played as a teenager for the club (and Ostia Mare as well) and has been one of Roma’s most important players for over a decade.
But being a son of Rome and the future captain of the club for over a decade, while Francesco Totti refuses to let time have its way with him and continues to be the captain and quite a productive scorer, the pressure on him was always greater than for others, and a certain break in relations with the Roma fans this past season might have finally convinced him to seek a place in another league, for another club.
Roma have announced that every player on the team is for sale for the right kind of offer, and De Rossi, despite his disappointing season in 2012-2013, never fails to report and impress for the national team. There’s no doubt that Chelsea, with Jose Mourinho already attempting twice in the past to sign De Rossi, would be very interested in taking Roma up on their offer and trying to find the right fee to snap up De Rossi.
One issue is his salary – De Rossi has been one of the highest paid players in Italy for the last few seasons, making slightly less than €6 million a season. If Chelsea can match it, De Rossi should have no problem completing the transfer, while Roma would be happy letting go of an expensive and recently under-performing player.