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Justin Kluivert has reiterated that he has no regrets about joining Roma.
Yesterday, Kluivert's former teammates at Ajax continued their Champions League fairytale by eliminating Italian champions Juventus, having already beaten Real Madrid in the last round. For the 19-year-old, it hasn't been as exciting a season, with the winger restricted to just 12 Serie A starts. His father, Dutch legend Patrick, had already suggested that Kluivert should have stayed at Ajax for longer, but the Roma starlet was philosophical when asked the inevitable question of if he regretted leaving. "It’s wonderful to see Ajax performing in the Champions League,” he told Algemeen Dagblad. "I’m very happy for my former teammates and I wish them all the best. It’s easy to say that I could’ve been there too, but I touched the quarter-finals here at Roma. I took a certain path and I have no regrets. “Living alone in a new country and testing myself in another league has made me stronger and taught me a lot. “In Serie A every team are well prepared tactically. For example, it was even a battle against Chievo who are bottom. “At Ajax, on the other hand, we won almost all our matches in the first half." Kluivert sat out the win over Udinese on Saturday, but started the two matches before that, getting both assists in the 2-2 draw with Fiorentina. He is under contract at Roma until 2023. Want more Roma on your timeline? Like the new Giallorossi Yorkshire Facebook page!
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Roma could turn to Fiorentina left-back Cristiano Biraghi in their search for a long-term replacement for Aleksandar Kolarov, according to reports.
It's set to be a summer of rebuilding for the Giallorossi, and left-back is one of the positions with the most urgent need for reinforcements. Kolarov's form has been mixed this year, and the 33-year-old has just one more year left on his contract. Luca Pellegrini is set to return from his loan spell at Cagliari, but the youngster is not ready to be a regular starter at a high level, so new additions will be required. La Nazione claim that Italy man Biraghi is of interest to Roma, having impressed this season for La Viola. The 26-year-old has made 34 appearances in all competitions, while also assuming the starting left-back spot for the national team, ahead of Leonardo Spinazzola, Domenico Criscito and former Roma man Emerson Palmieri. Biraghi has one goal and four assists in Serie A this season. Want more Roma news on your timeline? Like the new Giallorossi Yorkshire Facebook page! Former Roma striker Antonio Cassano has revealed that he would like to see his old teammate Francesco Totti as the club's president.
Cassano enjoyed four-and-a-half successful years at Roma in the early 2000s, but left in acrimonious circumstances for Real Madrid in 2006. It was a move he came to regret, admitting that he would walk all the way back from Madrid to have the chance to play for La Magica again, while fans were left wondering what might have been had he stayed. Now, in an interview with Sky Sport 24, the 36-year-old has revealed his thoughts on how his former strike partner Totti would thrive in a more prominent role with the club, while also suggesting a surprise name for Roma's next coach. "[Claudio Ranieri] is a great person, I don't know if he can start a new cycle. I would like to see someone with the personality of [Roberto] Donadoni on Roma's bench. "I would like to see Totti as President, he represents Roma. He is an intelligent and balanced person. Joined by someone who can advise him on signings, he can make a great career. Roma is Totti, not [James] Pallotta or [Franco] Baldini from London." Cassano also suggested that current Roma captain Daniele De Rossi, a player he also used to share the pitch with, will go into coaching beyond his retirement. Ajax attacking midfielder Hakim Ziyech has revealed that the door is still open on a move to Roma, after a transfer fell through last summer.
The Moroccan star looked set to join Roma in the summer, before Monchi opted to sign PSG's Javier Pastore instead. However, Ziyech has admitted he would still be happy to join Roma, with the parties still in contact. When asked by Calciomercato.it if joining Roma was a closed chapter in his career, he said: "No, I don't think so." Ziyech also revealed that he is still in touch with former Ajax man and current Roma winger Justin Kluivert, adding fuel to the speculation. "We hear from each other regularly, and yes, we have also spoken about [Italian football]." The 26-year-old has a contract in Amsterdam until 2021. Patrik Schick could be set to leave Roma at the end of the season, two years into his spell with the Giallorossi.
The Czech striker arrived from Sampdoria in a club-record deal in 2017, but injuries hampered his progress in his first season. This year, he has continued to struggle for goals, but has improved his work ethic since hiring a mental coach in early 2019. However, with just three league goals to his name this season, it appears that Roma are ready to part ways with the 23-year-old. According to Italian journalist Alfredo Pedulla, the forward will leave the club at the end of the season. Pedulla's report states that Borussia Dortmund are in pole position to land Schick. The German club were interested in him before his move to Rome, and are set to reignite their pursuit of him. However, they face competition from fellow Bundesliga side RB Leipzig for the 16-time Czech international. Meanwhile, Schick's fellow Roma striker Edin Dzeko has also been linked with an exit, with Boca Juniors man Dario Benedetto tipped to replace him. Former Roma defender Mehdi Benatia has suggested he would be open to a return to the club, five years after he left for Bayern Munich.
The Moroccan centre-back left on sour terms, with club president James Pallotta calling him out as a "poisonous liar." However, in an interview with La Gazzetta Dello Sport, Benatia has insisted that he only has good memories of his time in Rome. “Rudi Garcia gave me confidence, sometimes I used to act as an interpreter for him,” the 31-year-old, who now plays for Al-Duhail after leaving Juventus in January, said. “He made me captain after the two monsters Francesco Totti and Daniele De Rossi. “These are things that I don’t forget, like the Olimpico. When you enter that stadium, with those fans, you want to take on the world. “Those fans deserve to win more. And I understand them. True Romanisti want to win.” When pressed over whether he would be willing to rejoin the Giallorossi, Benatia intriguingly replied: "Maybe... Roma will always be special to me.” Juan Jesus has urged his Roma teammates to remember their Champions League victory against Barcelona as inspiration for their push for the top four this season.
Yesterday marked the first anniversary of Roma's extraordinary victory over the La Liga giants, as they outplayed the five-time competition winners to overturn a three-goal first leg deficit. Jesus was one of the standout performers on the night. Tasked with man-marking Lionel Messi, one of the greatest players in the history of the game, Roma's number five completely nullified the threat posed by the Argentinian. Now, the centre-back has taken to Twitter to assure the fans that they will be using the memory of that game to inspire them in their bid for a top four finish this season. He wrote: "A year ago, at this very moment we were in the changing room about to take on an impossible challenge. Never forget that. "We must keep that in mind as we pursue our objectives right now. For the fans, for ourselves - but most of all for this club." It's certainly a fair comparison, as the task of finishing in the top four this season has, at times, seemed as difficult as beating Barcelona last year. Roma were as far down the table as 10th at Christmas, but a good week has seen them gain ground on their rivals for UCL qualification, with the side now just one point away from fourth position. Jesus is likely to start as a full-back in Saturday's match against Udinese, with Aleksandar Kolarov suspended and Davide Santon and Rick Karsdorp injured, while Alessandro Florenzi remains a doubt. Boca Juniors striker Dario Benedetto has been linked with a move to Roma.
Benedetto has scored 43 goals in 67 appearances for Boca, and according to Fox Sports Argentina, his form has caught the attention of the Lupi. Roma are expected to sell current first-choice striker Edin Dzeko in the summer, with some reports indicating that he has agreed to link up with his former Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini at West Ham. If Roma can acquire €20m for his signature, then a deal could go through. Argentina man Benedetto has been identified as a potential replacement. The 28-year-old has spent his entire career in the Americas, so could be ready to test himself in the European leagues. Roma's pursuit of Benedetto could be helped by the fact that Boca's sporting director is ex-Giallorossi defender Nicolas Burdisso, who maintains a good relationship with the club and recently met with Roma counterpart Ricky Massara. The report also suggests that Roma winger Diego Perotti could be included as a makeweight in the deal. Perotti began his youth career at Boca and made two senior appearances for them in a loan spell from Sevilla in 2014. Roma attacking midfielder Javier Pastore is set to leave the club at the end of the season, reports claim.
Pastore joined Roma from PSG last summer, but the move always seemed an odd fit, and the Argentinian has struggled to find his best form back in Italy. Despite scoring a backheel goal in just his second game for Roma, Pastore has since found it hard to keep his place in the side. A number of injury problems and a poor work-rate and attitude have seen his gametime diminish - an issue which has only been complicated more for him by the emergence of Lorenzo Pellegrini and Nicolo Zaniolo in his preferred position. According to Calciomercato, Roma and Pastore are set to part ways at the end of the season, just one year into the five-year contract that Monchi strangely offered the 29-year-old in the summer. The report claims Pastore's representatives have been in talks with Chinese clubs over a possible transfer, but the player would rather move back to his native Argentina, where River Plate are readying an offer. With key attacker Juan Quintero recently suffering an ACL injury, the reigning Copa Libertadores champions are looking for an alternative in the number 10 role. The only obstacle to the move could be in the details of the offer. River Plate are only willing to take Pastore on loan, whereas Roma are looking to sell, in order to recoup some of the €25m that was spent on him. However, his hefty wages make a loan a feasible option, as the Giallorossi aim to reduce their expenditure on a player who has offered so little this season. Roma have narrowed their search for a new goalkeeper down to two names, according to reports.
The goalkeeping position has been a massive area of concern for Roma this season, with summer signing Robin Olsen struggling to live up to the expectations of wearing the number one shirt. In recent weeks, he has been ousted from the starting lineup by veteran Antonio Mirante, and it looks increasingly likely that the Giallorossi will be signing a new keeper in the summer to replace the Swede. According to La Gazzetta Dello Sport, the two main names on Roma's list of goalkeeper targets are Cagliari's Alessio Cragno and Ajax's Andre Onana. Cragno has been a Serie A regular for two seasons at the Sardinian club, and at the age of 24, could be ready to make the step up to a bigger team. He has been included in recent senior Italy squads, but is yet to make his international debut. If Roma can't get him, then they are expected to turn to the Eredivisie for Onana, who has been Ajax's first-choice shot-stopper for three seasons. Capped nine times by Cameroon, the 23-year-old recently signed a contract extension with the Dutch club, but has been linked with the likes of Barcelona - where he was previously a youth team player - and Tottenham Hotspur. The report in Gazzetta continues by stating that Roma could also look to strengthen their defence by signing Atalanta centre-back Gianluca Mancini or Bordeaux man Jules Kounde. |
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