Roma had a busy summer reinforcing Jose Mourinho’s roster after missing out on a top-four finish in Serie A last term. However, the former Europa Conference League winners are reluctant to slam the brakes on their recruitment campaign heading into the January transfer window.
With Chris Smalling and Marash Kumbulla dealing with long-term injuries and Diego Llorente recently joining them on the sidelines, Mourinho has fallen short of reliable options at the back. While there’s hope the Spaniard will rejoin the fold after the international break, Roma must be patient with the former duo.
On top of their injury crisis, Roma will be without summer acquisition Evan Ndicka for a decent chunk of the second half of the season. The ex-Eintracht Frankfurt man is widely expected to feature for Ivory Coast at AFCON 2024 in the winter. As such, Mourinho will need to dive back into the market to strengthen his defensive department.
Jerome Boateng’s entourages have already approached Roma over the possibility of hiring their client on a short-term deal. But the Italians are not overly enthusiastic about landing the injury-prone veteran. According to Calciomercato, they have a younger alternative in mind. Genoa’s Radu Dragusin is a player of their liking.
Unlike Boateng, the Romania international is familiar with Serie A, having spent his entire senior career in Italy. After failing to make a name for himself at Juventus despite enjoying two impressive loan spells at Genoa and Sampdoria, he finally cut ties with the Turin side in the summer.
Genoa snapped the 21-year-old up in the transfer window just finished. Therefore, they might be unwilling to discuss his sale this winter.