Roma Fringe Midfielder Nixed Last-Minute Transfer to Galatasaray

Roma had reached an agreement to send Amadou Diawara to Galatasary. However, the defender refused the move and decided to stay at least until January. The transfer market window closed yesterday in Turkey. The Cimbom signed Gustavo Assunçao from Farmalicao instead.

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Roma had reached an agreement on a €2M season-long loan with option to buy. The midfielder, who played just seven minutes in the first few matches, considered the transfer but ultimately turned it down. He is under contract until 2024 and makes €2.2M per season. The Giallorossi acquired him for €21M in 2019, and he is currently worth €15M on the balance sheets.

José Mourinho would have been content to move forward with Jordan Veretout, Bryan Cristante, Gonzalo Villar, and Ebrima Darboe as the top options in the role. Lorenzo Pellegrini could also play there in a pinch. The Portuguese gaffer showed some early confidence in youngster Eduardo Bove too. Diawara returned to Rome with a private flight yesterday. He had been sequestered in a hotel for a few days with the rest of the Guinea national team during a coup in his home country.

Roma tried to acquire a new midfielder during the summer, but they struck out. For January, they are tracking in particular Denis Zakaria, whose contract with Borussia Moenchengladbach expires in 2022. Therefore, they could get him at a discount if he did not extend it beforehand, Calciomercato.com informs. However, for numerical reasons, they will have to sell Diawara or Villar before making an addition.