Dragovic’s Agent Confirms Roma Contact

Hey, look at that, a transfer rumor not about Riyad Mahrez! Heavens to Murgatroyd! Somehow amidst all their wrangling for a new right winger, EDF and Monchi have convinced themselves the squad needs another centerback—apparently Hector Moreno isn’t the second coming of Franz Beckenbauer—and have found their latest target in the Bundesliga, Bayer Leverkusen’s Aleksandar Dragovic.

Drago (that’s what his friends call him) is a 26-year-old Austrian central defender set to embark upon his second season with Leverkusen, after making the switch from Dynamo Kyiv last summer. Dragovic stands 6’1” tall and has won trophies with Dynamo Kyiv, Basel and Austria Wien but found success a bit harder to come by with Leverkusen, as his managed only 1,200 minutes or so in league action.

As you can see, Dragovic is remarkably athletic for a central defender and possesses a pretty deft touch, traits that he presumably developed during his days as a youth midfielder. Given his size, range on the pitch and skill on the ball, Dragovic profiles as the ideal EDF center-back, one who can build play from the back and contribute in set pieces.

While Drago isn’t exactly a blue chip prospect, he’s drawing eyes from Inter and Besiktas in addition to Roma, with a reported €18 million price tag. Dragovic’s agent confirmed he’s been in contact with Roma, but gave no indication which club was leading the race for his client.

Dragovic is certainly an intriguing addition, but we’re two weeks away from this window slamming shut; transfer speculation needs to translate into action.