According to recent reports, Roma have decided to turn their attention in the direction of out-of-favour defenders at Chelsea and West Ham following the decision to abandon their pursuit of former Juventus and Italy captain Leonardo Bonucci.
The Giallorossi are working on an extremely tight budget, but still are keen to add defensive reinforcements to the squad in the January transfer window with Chris Smalling out indefinitely and Evan Ndicka set to take part in the Africa Cup of Nations with the Ivory Coast from mid-January.
Roma had been hoping to bring Bonucci back to Serie A just six months after his arrival in Germany with Union Berlin, but at a reported cost of €2m for what would effectively be a six-month contract, the club have decided that the money would be better spent elsewhere.
Instead, two Premier League defenders have come into the equation, namely Chelsea academy graduate Trevoh Chalobah and versatile West Ham centre-back Thilo Kehrer.
Given Roma’s current financial restraints, a loan deal would be the most likely scenario in both cases, as Chalobah has a contract with Chelsea until 2028, and Kehrer has one with West Ham until 2026, both including options for further years.
However, It is understood that both will be made available by their respective clubs in the January transfer window, as both have struggled for game time in England this season.
Kehrer has played just 18 minutes of Premier League action in 2023-24, on top of five Europa League appearances and three in the League Cup, while Chalobah is yet to be called upon at all by Mauricio Pochettino.