Roma manager Jose Mourinho is reportedly interested in signing Barcelona defender Hector Bellerin in the January transfer window.
Bellerin, 27, only joined Barcelona in September after his Arsenal deal was terminated by mutual consent. The Spain international has played just five games in all competitions since the move and was not included in Luis Enrique's 26-player squad for the World Cup.
Bellerin has struggled to get ahead of Alejandro Balde, a 19-year-old defender, in the pecking order and could call time on his Camp Nou career in January. It's believed Mourinho wants to bring the former Gunners hero to the Italian capital as soon as possible.
As reported by Spanish outlet SPORT, Mourinho has called Barcelona to discuss the possibility of signing Bellerin. The Portuguese manager is reportedly open to either a loan or permanent transfer and would like the deal to be completed in the upcoming window.
The rumour has emerged after Mourinho fell out with Roma's right-wing-back Rick Karsdorp. The Netherlands international, 27, is expected to leave the Stadio Olimpico as soon as possible and did not report for training, leaving Mourinho furious.
Mourinho slammed an unnamed player after Roma's 1-1 draw against Sassuolo earlier this month. "It was a team that wanted to win against a tough opponent, I am sorry that the efforts of the team were betrayed by the attitude of one unprofessional player," he said.
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"An unprofessional attitude that is not fair to his teammates, that is what disappoints me. A point away from home is still not a negative result and I am happy with the general attitude of my squad."
Mourinho added: "I had 16 players on the field tonight and I liked the attitude of 15 of them. I told the other than he had this attitude today only and not always. Now we want to close this period of the season with three points. In January, he needs to find himself another club."
Karsdorp was not part of Mourinho's squad for the game against Torino - Roma's final Serie A fixture before the World Cup. It's claimed the player has said goodbye to his team-mates and returned to Amsterdam. He is not part of the Netherlands' World Cup squad.
Mourinho is reportedly looking for replacements and has identified Bellerin as the ideal candidate due to his attacking attributes. The former Manchester United, Chelsea and Tottenham manager is currently deploying a 3-5-2 formation at the Stadio Olimpico.
It's fewer than three months since Bellerin re-joined boyhood club Barcelona. The defender joined the Spanish giants aged eight but moved to Arsenal eight years later to make a name for himself in English football. He went on to play 239 games for the Gunners.
Bellerin was deemed surplus to requirements by Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta in the summer of 2021 and spent last season on loan at Real Betis, helping them win the Copa del Rey. Betis were interested in re-signing Bellerin in September, but he joined Barcelona instead.
