Roma have reportedly made contact with Paris Saint-Germain to discuss a possible loan deal for Portuguese midfielder Renato Sanches.
The 25-year-old arrived in the French capital last summer alongside fellow midfielders Vitinha, Fabian Ruiz and Carlos Soler, but his perennial injury problems bedevilled him once again.
Sanches was restricted to 27 matches in a PSG jersey last year - scoring twice - and he only made the first XI on six occasions during the 2022-23 Ligue 1 campaign.
The midfielder suffered from adductor, muscular and hamstring issues during his debut season, missing a total of 19 matches and also struggling to make his mark when fully fit.
Sanches was brought to PSG last year by the recently-sacked Christophe Galtier - who formed a strong bond with the Portuguese at Lille - but he allegedly complained to the powers-that-be over his lack of minutes.
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It remains to be seen if Sanches can reignite his career under Luis Enrique, but the ex-Bayern Munich man is now facing added competition in midfield from Manuel Ugarte and Cher Ndour.
With Danilo Pereira, Marco Verratti and Warren Zaire-Emery also battling for minutes in the middle, Sanches is being linked with a summer exit, although his deal at the Parc des Princes still has another four years left to run.
According to Gianluca Di Marzio, Roma are pushing to take Sanches on loan for the 2023-24 season, but Jose Mourinho's side are yet to reach a breakthrough in talks with PSG.
Di Marzio reports that Roma have touched base with the French champions and Sanches's representatives to gauge their interest in a move, but the Giallorossi are seemingly not prepared to consider a permanent move.
However, should PSG open the door to a loan move, Sanches's temporary switch to Serie A could be concluded relatively quickly, as Mourinho aims to reinforce his midfield further following the capture of Houssem Aouar.
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Sanches was regarded as one of Europe's brightest midfield talents during his breakthrough year with Benfica in 2015-16, after which he played a key role in Portugal's Euro 2016 triumph.
The 25-year-old earned a €35m (£30.1m) move to Bayern Munich in 2016, but he failed to live up to his potential in the Bundesliga and also endured a forgettable loan spell with Swansea City in the 2017-18 season.
Sanches is not the only PSG midfielder facing an uncertain future, as Leandro Paredes and Georginio Wijnaldum's careers are at a crossroads following the end of their loan spells with Juventus and Roma respectively.
Enrique, Nasser Al-Khelaifi and Luis Campos have reportedly decided that both men can leave permanently this summer, alongside fellow 2022-23 loanees Mauro Icardi, Julian Draxler, Abdou Diallo, Keylor Navas, Colin Dagba and Layvin Kurzawa.
PSG confirmed their fifth exit of the summer transfer window on Tuesday morning, as RB Leipzig completed the signing of defender El Chadaille Bitshiabu for an initial €15m (£12.9m), which could rise to €20m (£17.2m) with add-ons.
Ben Knapton
