Shrewd Winter Transfer Business Could Boost Roma’s Serie A Title Hopes | OneFootball

Roma have been one of the most impressive teams in Serie A this season and have a genuine chance of winning the title.

Claudio Ranieri led the club to a fifth-place finish last term. New manager Gian Piero Gasperini has built on those foundations to guide Roma into the title mix.

Inter Milan, AC Milan, Roma and Napoli have all taken turns at the top, and mid-season recruitment could make all the difference in such a closely contested title race.

Gasperini has made the most of a decent squad, but he will need further reinforcements if Roma are to keep pace during the second half of the campaign.

Read on as we look at three players the Giallorossi should target in the winter transfer window to boost their Serie A title hopes.

Joshua Zirkzee – Manchester United

With Artem Dovbyk struggling with a hamstring injury, Evan Ferguson is the only out-and-out striker in Gasperini’s squad. However, he has struggled to impress.

Gasperini has publicly challenged Ferguson to step up, and he responded with a brace in the 3-0 win against Celtic in the Europa League.

Despite this, Roma must bring in a new striker to maintain their title charge. They have been strongly linked with Manchester United forward Joshua Zirkzee.

Although he has failed to impose himself in the Premier League, Roma’s interest makes sense. Zirkzee was a standout player for Bologna before his ill-fated £36.5m move to United.

With United open to cashing in after a year and a half, bringing Zirkzee back to Italy in a cut-price deal could go down as shrewd business for the Giallorossi.

He offers a different profile to Gasperini’s frontline options, and would take the pressure of other players in the squad.

Nabil Fekir – Al-Jazira

Plenty of eyebrows were raised when Nabil Fekir decided to leave Real Betis for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Pro League club Al-Jazira in 2024.

He was recognised as one of the finest playmakers in France during his time with Olympique Lyon and continued that form with Betis.

Fekir was drawing attention from top clubs across Europe, but decided to move to the UAE. However, a return to Europe could be on the cards, and Roma should be looking to pounce.

He notched eight goals and four assists in 20 games in his UAE Pro League debut campaign. Since Fekir joined Al-Jazira, he has attracted plenty of interest from the online betting community.

Operators such as Melbet UAE have welcomed a sizeable number of new bettors, who have developed greater interest in Al-Jazira since Fekir signed for them.

If he returns to Europe in Roma’s colours, those punters will likely pay more attention to Serie A, forcing UAE betting sites to expand their coverage.

Fekir would bring plenty of experience to Roma’s midfield and is the kind of signing that can raise their level. His presence in the team could make them a good bet to win the title.

Davide Frattesi – Inter Milan

Serie A clubs have a knack for doing business with each other despite the extremely competitive nature of the league, and Roma could exploit this factor.

Davide Frattesi was considered one of the finest talents in the Italian top flight during his time with Sassuolo. His form earned him a transfer to Inter.

The move was ambitious, but he repaid their faith with 15 goals and 11 assists across 102 appearances. He helped Inter win Serie A and the Italian Super Cup in 2023/24.

However, he has fallen out of favour under new manager Cristian Chivu and could be on his way out when the winter transfer window opens.

Frattesi progressed through Roma’s youth academy before joining Sassuolo, and the club should be looking to bring him back to the Italian capital.

The midfielder is still a high-level performer, and Roma can guarantee him playing time. He has started just one league game this term, with his other seven appearances coming off the bench. If Roma can pull off a move, Frattesi could be a defining addition to Gasperini’s squad – one who significantly increases their chances of winning the Scude