There was a time where many thought De Rossi would follow in the footsteps of his teammate and idol Francesco Totti and stay with the Serie A side for the rest of his career, installing himself within the club’s own pantheon of legends for the rest of time.
The west London club could be about to launch a move for the Roma midfielder with reports of a deal being ‘all-but-agreed’. He has of course been linked with a switch to England for a long time now but it never looked as though it would realistically happen, however an £11 million deal now looks to be in place and the 29-year-old will join up with Jose Mourinho’s men.
Mourinho has been a noted fan of De Rossi since his time in Italy, first attempting to sign him during his reign at Inter Milan and then again with Real Madrid, but it seems an £11m deal could be enough to lure him to Stamford Bridge.
De Rossi is expected to partner Frank Lampard in the middle should he sign for the Blues, though fellow new arrival Marco van Ginkel is expected to be nurtured through the first-team throughout the upcoming season.