Roma Probe Sporting CP Defender and Real Betis Attacker | OneFootball

Roma have been searching for a wing-back for quite some time, even more so after Zeki Celik’s about-face, and they have recently been focusing their efforts on Ivan Fresneda, while Abde Ezzalzouli has emerged as a candidate to shore up their frontline, Alfredo Pedullà reports.

The Giallorossi have spoken with Sporting CP and the defender’s camp three times recently. His valuation is around €17/18M plus hefty bonuses. They haven’t decided to push for him for the time being, but he’s one of the few players on their list. He headed to Portugal from Real Valladolid for €9M in 2023 and has racked up 81 appearances, scoring 4 goals and dishing out 3 assists.

In addition to tracking Fresneda, Roma poked around Ezzalzouli, but he’s as pricey as their other offensive targets, some of whom have fallen through. He has hit the net 29 times and provided 18 helpers in 128 games with Real Betis. He has starred 37 times with Morocco.

The Giallorossi haven’t given up on trying to acquire Antonio Nusa, but the negotiation is very complex. Instead, on the wing, they placed a small bid for Club America’s Israel Reyes. They tendered €2.5M, while the counterparty asked for a lot more, €7M, Mexican publication Excelsior reports. He’s been a stalwart for his current team for the past 5 seasons, featuring 146 times.

Our Take on Roma, Fresneda, and Ezzalzouli

They need multiple wingbacks after the Celik fiasco and likely won’t be able to splurge for two, especially since their interest in signing a big-ticket attacker hasn’t waned despite capturing Santiago Castro. Wesley and Devyne Rensch’s versatility gives them flexibility, but they should decide where they prefer using the former before adding.