Roma Closing in on Nacho and Diawara

According to reports, the Roma brass will meet Nacho's lawyers sometime tomorrow to hammer out final details and close the deal for the Spanish defender. Rumors over the past week or so point to a two million euro loan, while it remains unknown whether it's a dry loan or if there will be an option to buy permanently.

Bren gave a fairly thorough analysis of what Nacho brings to the table already, but just in case CDT forgot, he's a career backup at Real Madrid whose strengths include passing, retaining possession, and blocking and intercepting the ball. Another strength is his tactical versatility; while he's right-footed, Nacho can play either fullback position and both center-back positions.

Breaking down Nacho's 6.9 defensive actions per 90 minutes last season, he averaged 1.4 tackles per match, 2.3 interceptions per match, 2.2 clearances per match, and 0.6 blocks per match. While Nacho's clearly not a world-beater, he's basically the best the bargain bin has to offer, like when you're sifting through the half-off movies before you checkout at the store and find any Nicolas Cage film. Nacho is a decent second center-back for now, and he'll be a great third option once Antonio Rudiger returns from injury.

It's unclear how Amadou Diawara, the other potential transfer next week, will fit into Roma's immediate plans should the move come to fruition, but he's certainly one for the future. Although he's only played one full season of top flight football, he'll command a rather high transfer fee of around 20 million euros, surely a result of Diawara drawing Yaya Toure comparisons. Director of Football Walter Sabatini should be able to lower that price though. Hopefully.

Since the last Diawara update, the starlet refused to report to Bologna's preseason training camp. His heart is set on a move to a bigger club following Bologna's refusal to renegotiate his criminally low wages. Roma is the most likely destination for Diawara, as Bologna is reportedly pleased with Roma's approach to the situation, with Roma encouraging the starlet to not just walk away from Bologna.

Stay tuned for updates...