Negotiation in the final stages for the Iranian center-forward from Bayer Leverkusen, 28 years old. He boasts 45 goals in 71 matches for the national team.
Neither Zapata nor Lukaku. It’s Sardar Azmoun, the striker who will reinforce Roma’s offensive department. The deal isn’t officially closed yet, but it is a done deal and the Iranian will soon join the Capital to join his new team and enhance José Mourinho’s offensive line.
The Friedkin-owned club, which until yesterday had its sights set on Duvan Zapata, abandoned the track that was supposed to lead to the Colombian due to Atalanta’s increased demands.
Azmoun had already been sought after by the Giallorossi when he was playing for Zenit Saint Petersburg, but the Russians’ demand was just too high standing at 25 million euros.
This summer, several profiles were explored from Trigoria – from Scamacca to Zapata, passing through Morata and Ekitike – before entering into negotiations with the Germans.
The ’95 class, who missed the first two Bundesliga matches due to a muscle injury, will arrive in Italy in the next few hours and could be officially announced later today.
Behind the scenes of the Zapata deal: In the morning, Atalanta had attempted to reestablish contact with Roma regarding Zapata. The Bergamo team had become convinced to accept the offer of 10 million in total (5 + 5 in bonuses) for the outright purchase of the center-forward.
However, it was a late change of heart: Roma, irritated by the hesitations and attempts of the Nerazzurri management to secure more advantageous financial conditions, abandoned the Zapata discussion to focus directly on Azmoun.
