Roma are still on the hunt for a new defender to add to their ranks in the January transfer market and could now turn their attention in the direction of out-of-favour Everton defender Ben Godfrey according to reports on Tuesday.
The Giallorossi will be without starting defender Evan Ndicka during the Africa Cup of Nations over January and the beginning of February, while Chris Smalling is no closer to returning from his long-term injury, meaning that defensive reinforcements are a priority in the transfer window.
Roma had looked at striking a deal until the end of the season with former Juventus and Italy captain Leonardo Bonucci, however the club decided to pull out at the end of December in favour of other options.
Due to their current financial restraints, Roma have little to spend in January.
In fact, according to reports from Il Corriere dello Sport, there is currently only around €1.5m available on the balance sheet to spend on salaries and transfer fees without letting go of any other players first.
This means that Roma must get creative in the transfer market, and realistically are only able to sign players on loan, or possibly players who will soon be out of contract.
According to Il Corriere dello Sport, English defender Godfrey is on Tiago Pinto’s list of potential incomings.
The 25-year-old has been handed just one start in the Premier League by Sean Dyche in the 2023-24 Premier League season, but is fit and ready to play according to Tuesday’s report.
Il Corriere dello Sport hints that Roma could look to find a similar arrangement to the deals that brough Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Diego Llorent to the club in recent seasons.
WHEN YOU ARE GOING FOR A DEFENDER THAT CANNOT GET PLAYING TIME AT EVERTON THEN YOU KNOW YOU ARE IN TROUBLE. REMEMBER THE DAYS ROMA COULD ATTRACT AND AFFORD PLAYERS LIKE SAMUEL AND CHIVU……