Report: Roma Wants to Land Man United's Daley Blind on Deadline Day
Manchester United could say good bye to versatile Dutch star Daley Blind on transfer deadline day after multiple reports suggested that Serie A club Roma have inquired about the player after selling left back Emerson Palmieri to Chelsea.
United recently triggered an option to extend Blind's contract to the summer of 2019, but it has been widely believed for several weeks that was purely a move to ensure he would not leave as a free agent at the end of this season and that he would still be sold at the right price.
Blind is currently nursing an ankle injury, but the Daily Mail describes Roma as being 'keen' to complete a deal before the January transfer window closes. The Daily Mirror independently reports that United want to receive a similar fee to the £13/14m they paid Ajax in 2014.
The Mirror report further claims that Italian sources suggest Blind himself is keen.
The 27-year-old arrived at Old Trafford off the back of an impressive 2014 World Cup, following mentor Louis van Gaal from the Netherlands national team to north west England.
He was an immediate hit for United, with his intelligent play seeing him establish himself in a defensive midfield role. Only a knee injury midway through the campaign stopped Blind from playing more than 29 times in all competitions.
The player was then moved into a center back role in 2015/16, once more thriving as a result of his ability to read the game, even though he lacked the typical physical qualities associated with the position. As such Blind played over 50 times that season.
The 2016/17 season saw yet another change, with new manager Jose Mourinho identifying Blind as a left-back, the position in which he had started his career at Ajax. He played less often than he had done under Van Gaal, but still made 39 appearances in total.
Blind has had a harder time so far this season. He has rarely featured in the Premier League, but has been a regular starter in every other competition prior to his current injury. And despite generally being behind both Luke Shaw and Ashley Young in the pecking order, he curiously played every minute of all six Champions League group game.
