Roma prepare Spurs raid

Roma will reportedly make a bid for Tottenham Hotspur defender Vlad Chiriches if they sell centre-half Mehdi Benatia to Manchester United.

Italian source La Gazzetta dello Sport claims the Red Devils are now in pole position to lure unsettled Benatia away from Serie A, with bitter rivals City cooling their interest in the Moroccan.

The Premier League champions will instead attempt to tie-up their long-running pursuit of Porto star Eliaquim Mangala, who has already undergone a medical.

Should Roma part company with their £32million defensive talisman they will, according to the report, splash out part of the windfall on Spurs man Chiriches.

The Italians have a good working relationship with their north London counterparts and hope to finalise a deal swiftly.

Chiriches, who joined Spurs almost a year ago from Steaua Bucharest, has no shortage of suitors across Europe.

A turbulent first season in England saw him play under two head coaches – Andre Villas-Boas and Tim Sherwood – both of whom were sacked after failing to guide the team to Champions League qualification.

He made 24 appearances for Spurs in the 2013-14 campaign, with his only goal coming in the 2-1 victory at neighbours Fulham on December 4.

The 24-year-old found himself in competition with the likes of Younes Kaboul, Jan Vertonghen and Michael Dawson for a place in the starting line-up and often had to settle for a place on the substitutes’ bench, particularly in the Premier League.