Roma Have Two Reasons To Hurriedly Conclude Their Deal For Mats Hummels

Written By Onyeka Daniel

With the exit of England defender, Chris Smalling confirmed, Roma have intensified their search for a defender, as they run into issues in their negotiations with Mats Hummels.

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Smalling has said his farewells to his Roma colleagues and supporters as he embarks on a new journey in Saudi Arabia with Al-Fayha, leaving the Stadio Olimpico after five fond years.

The former England international completed a move to Al-Fayha on Monday night, on the final day of the window for Saudi Pro League clubs to sign players from foreign leagues. He leaves Roma after five years, having scored 10 goals from 155 appearances in all competitions.

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The pinnacle of Smalling’s Roma career came in the Europa Conference League final under Jose Mourinho, where he was awarded man of the match in the final of the competition’s first ever edition.

For the Giallorossi, they have two new names on their list, plus Hummels, who could still be an option despite recent reports of issues in negotiations with the club. Recent reports suggest there could be a sensational return to the Stadio Olimpico for Kostas Manolas.

Like Hummels, he is a free agent after his brief spell with Salernitana at the end of last season. The former Greece international spent five seasons with Roma, before moving to Napoli and then Sharjah FC in the United Arab Emirates.

It is being reported that former Liverpool defender Joel Matip could also be an option for Daniele De Rossi. Like Manolas, he is not expected to command a particularly excessive salary.

Hummels remains the first choice, with reports claiming that Roma were backing off the 35-year-old after coming across a couple of issues in negotiations on personal terms, but recent reports suggest that the situation can still be amended and given a positive conclusion.

The Giallorossi need to complete the deal quickly if they wish to include Hummels on their Europa League squad list for the 2024-25 season. The deadline to submit Europa League squads to UEFA is tonight

So, Roma will need to have the deal completed before then if they wish to use Hummels in the first half of the Europa League campaign. Hummels also has interest coming from Galatasaray in Turkey, who recently secured a deal with Napoli for the loan of Victor Osimhen.

Galatasaray had originally been targeting a move for Mario Hermoso, who has since joined Roma instead, and so they are also still on the lookout for a new centre-back.

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The club from the capital city have already added the former Atletico Madrid centre-back to their ranks after the close of the summer transfer window, but would still like to bring one more in after Smalling’s departure.

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