Amid a flurry of additions in other roles, Roma haven’t forgotten about the necessity of signing one more defender. Director Tiago Pinto is assessing the pros and cons of each candidate and the conditions of the respective deals.
According to La Repubblica (via Corriere Giallorosso), the exec is tracking four names in particular. Free agent Dan-Axel Zagadou is still being considered, but he seems more of a fallback. The management touched base with his agent in London last week. West Ham and Sevilla are also eyeing him.
If it were up to José Mourinho, the choice would fall on Eric Bailly, but he’s the most expensive defender of the lot. He demands €5M wages, plus the initial loan would cost €3M on its own. His Manchester United teammate Victor Lindelof has been linked to the Giallorossi too. Though, there isn’t much substance to those rumors.
The capital side is pursuing Japhet Tanganga, like Milan. However, Tottenham don’t necessarily consider him an outcast. Therefore, they will let him go only for a proper offer. The formula would have to be at least a loan with conditioned obligation to buy. Pinto has received strong relations on RB Bragatino’s Natan from the scouts, but his club demand €10M to part ways with him.
Our Take on Roma Searching For a Defender
The economic element obviously always has to be factored in, but the Giallorossi really need to decide what caliber of player they want. Things change significantly depending on whether they are just looking to round out the rearguard, or if they aim for somebody that could supplant Roger Ibanez or eventually take over from Chris Smalling. There is a gulf between those propositions.
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