Roma target two Premier League defenders - including Tottenham & Chelsea centre-backs - ahead of January transfer window swoop

Sky Sports report that two international performers currently plying their trade in the English capital may be offered the opportunity to head for the Italian equivalent. Disasi is expected to be on the move early in 2026.

The 27-year-old Frenchman, who has won five senior caps for his country, forms part of the infamous “bomb squad” at Stamford Bridge. He has found himself frozen out under Blues boss Enzo Maresca - who is facing questions of his own future at present.

Disasi has not made a competitive appearance since April 22, 2025, when he figured in a 2-1 defeat for loan employers Aston Villa at Manchester City. No permanent move to the West Midlands was agreed, leaving the former Monaco star in professional limbo.

Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has already announced that Chelsea are willing to part with a player that they acquired for £39 million ($52m) in 2023 - although another short-term agreement has been ruled out.

Romano has said: “Axel Disasi, available for January window but reports of loan move are out of mark as the French defender can not leave on loan. Chelsea already used all their extra UK spots for loans this season. AS Roma, OL and Paris FC all informed.”

Looking for smarter football bets? Get expert previews, data-driven predictions & winning insights with GOAL Tips on Telegram. Join our growing community now!

Sky Sports admit it is “not clear whether Dragusin is available from Spurs”, but the north London outfit are said to be “looking to strengthen with another naturally left-sided defender”. They already have five centre-halves on their books and will need to move somebody on in order to free up space in Thomas Frank’s squad.

Dragusin enjoyed a productive end to 2025 after spending much of the calendar year stuck on the sidelines. He suffered knee ligament damage during a Europa League clash with Swedish side Elfsborg in January.

The Romanian made his long-awaited return to action when stepping off the bench in Spurs’ 1-0 win over Crystal Palace on December 28. Frank was quizzed on the 23-year-old’s future after that fixture.

He said: “Right now, I am just so happy to see him come onto the pitch. Being out for what nine months or 10 months? So, for him it is a massive step to step onto the pitch that he misses so much. For me that is the most important thing.

“I also spoke to you guys about a month or six weeks ago that he needed more training, he needed more game minutes with the Under-21s and he progressively got better and more and more fit. It is all about that and regarding rumours, rumours are rumours.”

While there may be a way back for Dragusin at Tottenham, Disasi’s days at Chelsea appear to be numbered. He has turned out for the Blues’ U21 side this season, but was not registered in their first-team squad.

Outings for the club’s development team have allowed him to build fitness ahead of a potential move elsewhere, with a brief return to full training in November seeing no slates wiped clean.

Blues boss Maresca said at the time, when asked if those stuck in the shadows had any chance of earning a reprieve: “I said many times that Axel and Raheem [Sterling] are Chelsea players. Axel is helping the second team, he’s helping the younger players. During the international break we had just five, six players here, so we need some second team players. And Axel was part of some session with second team players, but I think it was just one session with us.”

Disasi finds himself behind the likes of Wesley Fofana, Tosin Adarabioyo, Trevoh Chalobah and Levi Colwill - while Jorrel Hato and Josh Acheampong can fill centre-half berths. That situation could work in Roma’s favour, as they ready official approaches early in the new year.