Roma are poised to be active in January to add depth to the squad after José Mourinho’s insistent pleas. On top of the midfield, they aim to shore up the defense. They are looking to bring in one more right-back to alternate with Rick Karsdorp and a center-back to compensate for Chris Smalling’s repeated injuries.
For the first role, Roma have been tracking Marcus Holmgren Pedersen and Benjamin Henrichs, Tuttomercatoweb reports. The former joined Feyenoord from Molde for €1M in July. He has shown well in Eredivisie, tallying four assists in nine appearances.
Instead, the RB Leipzig defender is more established and would be able to play on each flank. The German club asked for €10M during the initial inquiries. Roma are hopeful they could get him on loan with option to buy. They will try to exploit the fact that he wants a change of scenery since he has been a fringe contributor this season.
For the middle of the defense, the Giallorossi have laid their eyes on Marcao. Galatasary could be inclined to let him go because they need cash to finance the acquisition of a striker. The 24-year-old joined the Cimbom from Chaves for €4M in January of 2019. He has racked up 113 appearances in the Turkish league.
Besides Smalling’s issues, Roma could bid farewell to Marash Kumbulla, at least temporarily. After the loss to Venezia, Mourinho stated that they were too short-handed in the back and paid the price for the departures of Juan Jesus and Bruno Peres.