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Roma are expected to complete the signing of Real Betis goalkeeper Pau Lopez next week. The Spanish goalkeeper has been identified as the top target to become Roma’s new number one after Robin Olsen proved to be a massive downgrade on Alisson Becker, eventually being overtaken in the pecking order by veteran Antonio Mirante by the end of the season. Roma are now set to replace Olsen with Lopez, who has spent three of the past four seasons as a regular in La Liga (interrupted by a one-year loan at Tottenham Hotspur, which brought no appearances). Lopez, 24, will cost around €30m, a figure which includes the cancellation of the sell-on fee for Antonio Sanabria, who Roma sold to Betis three years ago. Sky Sport Italia have confirmed that Lopez will arrive in Rome on Monday for his medicals, ahead of signing a five-year contract which will see him become the highest-paid keeper in Serie A.
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Following the arrival of head coach Paulo Fonseca, Roma have some more big decisions to make in terms of personnel - of which one of the most important will be the goalkeeper situation.
Robin Olsen flopped in his first season with the club, eventually being replaced as first choice by 35-year-old Antonio Mirante. However, it looks like Mirante will return to being the backup next season - while some reports have even linked him with a surprise return to former club Parma. Therefore, Roma are in need of a new number one, with several names linked. Experienced Torino and Italy man Salvatore Sirigu has been suggested as a target, but especially in the event of Mirante staying, perhaps a younger keeper would be more suitable. One player who would fit that profile is Ionut Radu, who spent last season on loan at Genoa from Inter. The 22-year-old is no stranger to links with Roma, having been tracked by former sporting director Monchi when he sold Radja Nainggolan to Inter. However, the Giallorossi ended up with Nicolo Zaniolo and Davide Santon from that operation instead. Despite Monchi moving on, some reports had suggested that Radu could be a target for Roma again, but his agent has issued a bold response to those rumours. "Radu has grown, he did good things at Avellino and then at Genoa, where he has confirmed himself at high levels," Oscar Damiani told TMW Radio. "He is a boy that must grow and improve. "We will see what happens next year. We are speaking with Inter about him. "Him in the Dzeko-Inter operation? Absolutely not, he will not go to Roma but I believe that he can do another year at Genoa. In the past, Roma had already been interested in Radu but they didn't have the right approaches, so I don't think he will go there." With Radu seemingly ruled out, the focus may now turn to Sirigu, Fiorentina's Bartolomiej Dragowski or PSG's Kevin Trapp. Alessio Cragno has been linked, but Cagliari are demanding above €25m for the Italian. Alternatively, some reports have suggested that Juventus could offer Mattia Perin as part of a player-plus-cash bid for Nicolo Zaniolo. Want more Roma news on your timeline? Like the new Giallorossi Yorkshire Facebook page!
Roma kept the pressure on in the race for a top four place as they won the most difficult of their three remaining games.
Goals from Alessandro Florenzi, who overcame a personal battle with Cristiano Ronaldo, and Edin Dzeko, back to his sharp shooting best, earned the Giallorossi a 2-0 win over Juventus, reducing the gap with Atalanta back to three points. Here's how all the key figures reacted to the match. Claudio Ranieri to Sky Sport Italia “We must continue believing that anything is possible. "It doesn’t depend on us and we know that perfectly well, but we must get to the end of the season with our conscience clear. “Having been in this position already, and as a local and a fan of this club, I’ve seen life, death and miracles of all sorts. My message is as follows: I’ve travelled around the world and I’ve always established a bond based on loyalty with my players. I demand the utmost from them and there’s mutual respect between us. We have a laugh and a joke, but when we walk out onto the pitch we have to give our all.” On Roma's improvements in defence: “It depends on a lot of things. I don’t want us to press too high up the pitch. We did that twice and Juventus cut us apart really well in two touches. When we protect our four defenders, they feel more secure and the opposition has less space. This is the result of the tactical discussions we have during the week. "It doesn’t mean that we don’t want to attack. At times today we were too frenetic and in the first half we messed up a few passes where we should have shown more calmness.” On whether he could become a club advisor after leaving: “When I was first contacted this was suggested, but I still enjoy coaching and I want to coach. I’m finished here at the end of the year.” Alessandro Florenzi on asroma.com “Now we don’t need to look at the league table any more – we just need to do everything we can in these last two games, just as we did tonight. “We need to give everything we have, trying to win both and then we will see where we are; whether that is the Champions League, the Europa League, or neither. “We know we have not had the season that we wanted to. There are a lot of reasons why we haven’t done as well as we are capable of, from bad luck to mistakes from everyone. “But we need to finish this season without regrets. We need to be able to look each other in the face after the final whistle against Parma knowing that we gave everything and then whatever will be, will be. “We stayed in the game, we knew that it was not going to be easy. “We played to win but equally we did not want to concede. The coach made the right choices, the scoreline shows that. “Cengiz Under’s introduction was vital, I am very happy with what he did – we’ve missed him a lot and this is the player we want to see.” Antonio Mirante on asroma.com “I believe that, aside from the saves and the decisions from the gaffer, we’ve changed a little in our approach to defence. "We’re less exposed and when we have the ball we’re almost always set up well. This restores confidence and then the results start to come in. "We’re working so hard to get fourth place. We know things are complicated but we have the duty to keep going until the end.” On whether he could be number one next year: “The truth is that when I came here at the start of the year I knew my role, but then things changed and obviously it’s great to be able to play. However, it’s not a question of thinking about what I’ll do next year, it’s a question of working hard: my attitude to my job always needs to be perfect. "Despite the fact I knew I’d been brought here as a back-up keeper, I always trained as if I were playing the following Sunday. From this point of view I’m lucky because I’ve got a goalkeeping coach who doesn’t let up and also I genuinely never had the attitude of coming here to Roma to put my feet up.” Steven Nzonzi to Il Romanista "We certainly still believe we can reach the Champions League, there are still two matches before the end and anything can happen. We must work hard and believe in it until the end. There are still six points up for grabs, we must take them and then we will see what happens. On his future: "I am happy at Roma, I'm perfectly at ease. Now it is important to concentrate on the end of the season, reaching our objectives. What matters now is the present." Edin Dzeko on Facebook "Big win, vital three points." Bryan Cristante on Twitter "This team never gives up. Daje Roma!" Ivan Pelizzoli has suggested that Roma should make a move for Cagliari goalkeeper Alessio Cragno.
Cragno has been in fine form for the Sardinian club this year, and is one of the names Roma could target in the summer following Robin Olsen's nightmare campaign. Antonio Mirante has done alright since replacing Olsen as number one, but is expected to be replaced by a younger first choice goalkeeper next year, staying as the experienced backup. Pelizzoli, who kept goal for Roma between 2001 and 2005, has now called on his former club to bring Cragno to the capital. Speaking to Soccer Magazine, Pelizzoli said: "The legacy of Alisson was heavy. As for Olsen, I don't know him, he arrived in Italy and has alternated between games in which he has done very well and games in which he did less well. At Roma you also have to be mentally strong, perhaps he has had some of these pressures straight away and hasn't done very well. "As for Mirante, on the other hand, he is a very good goalkeeper, he has always played in good Serie A teams, with some intervals in Serie B, but let's say he is mainly a Serie A goalkeeper. In fact, for me, Roma did very well to take him as a second choice to give a hand to the first choice, to make him understand the Italian championship. "For next year, if I was at Roma, I would look for a first goalkeeper and give him the keys to Roma. Mirante for me is a great goalkeeper, he could even play, but at a place like Roma I would see other types of keepers, since this year Cragno is doing very well. Someone a little bit younger, perhaps with Mirante behind him." Follow Giallorossi Yorkshire on Twitter! 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. Roma have made their fifth signing of the summer and second signing of the day, as the arrival of Antonio Mirante from Bologna was confirmed.
The experienced goalkeeper signs a three-year contract after a €4m fee was agreed. Mirante has played for Juventus, Sampdoria and Parma during his distinguished career, as well as having loan spells with Crotone and Siena. The 34-year-old will add crucial experience to the club and should excel as a backup goalkeeper. “Becoming a Roma player is a proud moment for me,” he told the club’s website. “It was something that I really wanted – this is the right moment in my career and I think it will be a great step for me.” He follows Justin Kluivert to Roma, after the young winger signed from Ajax earlier today. Benvenuto, Antonio. Chelsea are preparing to pay the €38m release clause in Kostas Manolas' contract, according to reports.
Manolas has spent the past four seasons at Roma and recently signed an extension until 2022, but the new deal included the relatively low release clause. Premier League side Chelsea are considering activating the release clause, according to SportItalia, as they prepare for Maurizio Sarri's potential arrival as manager. Manolas wants to take a few days to consider his options before deciding on a move. If he went to Chelsea, he would reunite with former Roma centre-back partner Antonio Rudiger. The Blues are prepared to offer the 27-year-old a salary of €5m-per-year. Another popular Roma player, Radja Nainggolan, is even closer to an exit. The Belgian midfielder is expected to join Inter soon in a deal that will see Davide Santon and Nicolo Zaniolo join Roma from the Nerazzuri. It appears that the move is against Nainggolan's wishes, but he is set to seal the €24m switch in the coming days. Finally, experienced goalkeeper Antonio Mirante is in Rome for medicals ahead of a proposed switch from Bologna. Mirante will join in a swap deal that will see Lukasz Skorupski go the other way. Skorupski will become the second Roma player to join Bologna in recent days, after young defender Arturo Calabresi signed a four-year contract with the side. |
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