Despite the fact that Lazio have been in talks with Alessio Romagnoli for a while now, they’re less than a week away from losing out on him to Fulham, something they can ill afford.

The 27-year-old Italian centre back is gearing up to leave Milan on a free transfer next week, ending a seven-year association with the club. For a long time now it’s seemed as if a move to Lazio was just around the corner but no agreement has been reached yet, despite months of talks.

The issue is the strategy employed by sporting director Igli Tare, whose salary offer is maxing out at €2.8m net per season plus add-ons. Romagnoli is continuing to ask for €3.2m net per season plus add-ons and despite the gap being minimal at this point, the Biancocelesti are refusing to close out the deal, allowing Fulham to enter the fray.

Romagnoli is not keen to wait much longer and reports suggest that he’ll accept Fulham’s offer at the tail end of next week, should the Biancocelesti fail to finalise things.

Situations like this or the slow progress on a deal for Atalanta prospect Marco Carnesecchi are causing tension in Rome, with coach Maurizio Sarri incredibly concerned about Tare’s work. The pre-season training camp is rapidly approaching and he wants his new arrivals to spend as much time as possible learning the system.

Tying down Sarri to a new deal was a very ambitious move by Claudio Lotito and it’s clear that he’s keen to build a project in Rome, but losing out on Romagnoli would prove that nothing has really changed in the Eternal City. Fans are growing increasingly impatient and not signing the Italian defender would cause a significant rift between supporters and club.

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