Roma market, steps forward to please Gasperini: but patience needed

Roma soccer market: Gian Piero Gasperini continues to need reinforcements for his offensive department, and especially forwards who guarantee a reasonable amount of goals to the active side in a team that concedes little but struggles to materialize the amount of play it produces. Thus the Capitoline leadership continues to work with increasing insistence on the’purchase of Joshua Zirkzee from Manchester United. It is, however, keeping other fronts open at the same time, starting with that on Giacomo Raspadori, who is certainly not shining at Atletico Madrid. And it cannot be ruled out that, in the end, both will arrive.

Marco Enzo Venturini

Giallorossi sporting director Frederic Massara has in fact already finalized with Manchester United the deal for Zirkzee. There do not seem to be any more problems either for the formula or for the figures: the knot, if anything, seems to be the time. The Red Devils are among the European teams most interested in the African Cup of Nations, and they may not want to get rid of their center forward before the second half of January when the team&#8217s squad will be back to full strength. A wait that could space Roma, which already has the 5 million euros for the onerous loan ready. If the Champions League comes at the end of the season, then, the 30 for the buy-back obligation would be triggered.

Patience would also be needed, however, on the Raspadori front. The former Sassuolo and Napoli striker, according to the ‘Corriere dello Sport’ would not want to archive his La Liga adventure without having tried to play all his cards. Gasperini&#8217s esteem for him, however, could break the bank, along with the 20-22 million that Roma could invest in a player that Atletico Madrid currently considers all but indispensable to its project. The Colchoneros would therefore be reasoning about a departure of the Azzurri national, who in the capital could moreover free Bailey and also Baldanzi. The latter would move on loan to Pisa or Verona, accumulating experience and minutes in Serie A.

But Roma has no intention of focusing on these two tracks alone, aware of the risk of finding itself empty-handed at the end of January. Among the options being monitored is Fabio Silva, a Portuguese striker with Borussia Dortmund. Bought in the summer for nearly 23 million, he has found very little space (just 350 minutes between Bundesliga, domestic cup and Champions) and could ask for a transfer as early as January.

We also look to Brazil, where Corinthians’ Yuri Alberto is shining. The 2001-born striker, who grew up in Santos and has also passed through Internacional and Zenit, likes several European clubs in addition to Roma, including West Ham, Sporting and Atletico Madrid. Massara then closely follows Giovane from Hellas Verona, one of the most interesting profiles to emerge in this Serie A. Having arrived on a zero-parameter basis from Corinthians, the Brazilian has already collected 3 goals and 4 assists, attracting the interest of Inter and Borussia Dortmund.