Balzaretti to Choose Roma? (Updated)

An early Sunday rumor indicates that Federico Balzaretti has told the Palermo powers that be that he would accept a move to Roma, despite a higher transfer offer from Napoli.

In order to match Napoli's offer, Roma would have to at least offer €5M, straight cash with no player swaps, though Palermo seems amenable to an initial €2M loan with a €3M buyout.

It had been widely assumed that, had he left Palermo at all, it would be for PSG, as his wife resides in Paris. So this is quite an interesting and exciting development, €5M for a player of his caliber would seem quite the bargain. Adding Balzaretti would certainly go a long way to meeting Roma's dire need for a fullback.

However, at this point, it's far from being a reality-as always, stay tuned.

Updates as of July 30th:

Balzaretti has asked his agent for more time to consider his options. Reports indicate that Roma has offered €4.5M for Federico, while Lazio chimed in wtih €4M, though their wage offers are the highest of his suitors (Roma, Lazio, Napoli).