Progress Being Made on New Pellegrini Contract

On an afternoon in which one Pellegrini (Federica) became the first female swimmer to ever qualify for five consecutive Olympic finals in the same stroke (the 200 meter free)—and only the second ever after Michael Phelps—Italy's other famous sporting Pellegrini (Lorenzo) may be inching towards his long-awaited contract extension if reports out of Italy prove accurate.

Lorenzo Pellegrini, as you all know, shoulders the burden and blessings of playing for his hometown club; a status that brings praise and scorn in almost equal (and some would say excessive) measure. Still, despite sometimes falling short of the benchmarks set by his Roman predecessors, namely Francesco Totti and Daniele De Rossi, Pellegrini's steady growth over the past several seasons has seen the 25-year-old midfielder become one of the sharpest playmakers in Serie A and a mainstay for club and country.

And that reputation has carried abroad as well, with clubs like Liverpool, PSG, and Barcelona reportedly keen on acquiring Pellegrini at various points over the past 18 months. While the notion of parting with an exceptional young talent like Pellegrini may seem absurd on the surface, with a rumored €30 million release clause in his current deal, the specter of losing the local boy has haunted Roma fans ever since Pellegrini returned to the fold in 2017.

That Pellegrini and Roma haven't succumbed to those overtures speaks to the strong relationship between club and player, but Roma can only hope Pellegrini follows the Totti path for so long; sooner or later they have to give him a new deal commensurate with his talents and standing in the league.

And according to reports out of Italy (La Repubblica and the Corriere dello Sport), Roma remain hard at work hammering out a new deal for Pellegrini. This is nothing new of course—we've been talking about this for nearly a year—but those sources speculate that Mourinho's fondness for Pellegrini should get the ball rolling on a new deal that would keep Roma's (possible) captain in town through 2026 when Pellegrini will be approaching his 30th birthday.

Neither source speculated on exactly when this deal may be signed, only that Mourinho's arrival is hastening the process, but needless to say, this is one contract negotiation Roma fans will want to monitor.

By potentially locking up Pellegrini through his 30th birthday, the stage would seemingly be set for the former Roma ballboy to complete his career in the capital.