Roma Close to Signing Marko Basa from Lille for €2m?

While Roma and Fenerbahce continue to dance around the transfer of Salih Uçan, it appears as though Rudi Garcia has once again reached into his back pocket to pick out a former Lille player, this time in the form of Montenegrin defender Marko Basa. Roma will reportedly pay Lille €2m to secure the 31-year-old's signature, who will then sign a two year contract at €2.5m per year, though official terms of the deal have yet to be released, or even confirmed for that matter, so don't go asking to borrow money from him just yet.

So who is Marko Basa and what does he potentially bring to the Giallorossi?

First of all, Basa is a big dude, standing 6'3" and weighing nearly 190lbs, which puts him roughly on par with Mehdi Benatia. Basa has spent the past four seasons playing for Lille, compiling nearly 100 appearances in all competitions, including nine goals and four assists in league play. Interestingly enough, Basa formed quite the defensive pairing with former Roma flameout Simon Kjaer.

This past season was particularly impressive for Basa. In 32 appearances, Lille's #25 scored three goals, dished out two assists, completed 91% of his passes, and averaged an impressive 7.8 clearances per match and a club leading 3.7 aerial duels won per match; both of which would have led Roma by a wide margin.

Different teams, different leagues...yada, yada, yada. Basa may not be a household name, but he moves pretty well for a man his size, he's great in the air, and distributes the ball at a 90% clip. Where he falls in the pecking order and what his signing (if true) means for Rafael Toloi remains to be seen, but for only two or three million, this would be a great signing.