Sunday, November 20, 2022 at 8:00 PM• Noel Korteweg

The quarrel between José Mourinho and Rick Karsdorp does not seem to be going well. The 27-year-old right back did not appear at AS Roma’s training on Sunday and therefore seems to be aiming for a final break with the Italians. Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano also reports that it is ‘over’ between the Dutchman and his club. Karsdorp, who is still with the reigning Conference League winner until mid-2025, has no lack of interest.

It went completely wrong between Mourinho and the three-time international more than two weeks ago. The Portuguese coach lashed out at Karsdorp after the match against Sassuolo (1-1). “The team’s commitment was betrayed by the attitude of an unprofessional player. He betrayed everyone else. A foul is part of the game, but I had sixteen players on the field and I didn’t like one. I told the player to look for another team in January.”

The Roma players were released last week due to the World Cup break and actually had to report back to training on Sunday. Karsdorp did not do that, so Mourinho seems to get his way and the ex-Feyeno player will indeed have to look for another team in January. The right back has no lack of interest: Juventus, AC Milan, Bologna, Olympique Marseille and Olympique Lyon would all keep a close eye on Karsdorp. A return to the Netherlands would also not be completely ruled out, although Roma is only willing to cooperate in a sale or lease with an option to buy.

The Italian club is in turn working to find a suitable replacement for Karsdorp, with Héctor Bellerín of Barcelona being explicitly mentioned. The 27-year-old Spaniard is stuck in Spotify Camp Nou until mid-2023, so the Catalans will not get too high in terms of a transfer fee. With right back Zeki Celik, Mourinho also has a backup in house. Karsdorp came over from Feyenoord for sixteen million euros in the summer of 2017 and has since played 122 matches for Roma.