
Roma have stolen a march on Chelsea and Manchester United in the race to sign Benfica midfielder Axel Witsel.
Witsel, 23, has seen his stock rise after a superb first season at Benfica, where he played a key role in the side's progress to the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
And the Belgium international, who moved to the Estadio da Luz from Standard Liege for £6.2m last summer, is reportedly a target for Serie A side Roma.
Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport says Roma will launch a £16.3m bid for Witsel after cooling their interest in Ajax midfielder Cristian Eriksen, who is a long-term target of Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson.