Report: Roma Could Pursue Salvatore Sirigu in January

In a transfer rumor that would have made us all giddy a decade ago, the Gazzetta dello Sport suggests that Roma, not satisfied with either Pau Lopez or Antonio Mirante as their number one option in goal, are looking to veteran Torino netminder Salvatore Sirigu. While the club has a number of long-term targets for the position in mind (Alessio Cragno, Pierluigi Gollini, and Marco Silvestri, to name a few), they reportedly view Sirigu as an ideal stop-gap solution.

Sirigu, 33-years-old, has had a bit of an odd career for a player so well known. After experiencing some success with Palermo in the late 2000s, Sirigu made a move to the nouveau riche PSG in the summer of 2011...for only €3.9 million...to be a back-up.

While he didn't garner as many headlines as PSGs other mega purchases, he quickly rewarded their faith, stealing the starting gig for the entirety of the 2011-2012 season. Sirigu would continue on as PSG's number one for several years, totaling nearly 200 appearances for the Parisians before his time in the French capital came to a rather unceremonious ending, splitting the 16-’17 season on loan with two different Spanish clubs: Sevilla and Osasuna.

Sirigu returned to Italy in 2017 to play with Torino, for whom he's made 120 appearances over the past three-and-a-half seasons. However, with his play dipping and his relationship with the club (and certainly the fans) in trouble, he may soon be on the market for a new gig.

Enter AS Roma.

With Lopez and Mirante each failing to fully earn Paulo Fonseca’s trust, the Gazzetta speculates that Roma may make a play for Sirigu, provided they can send Lopez on loan during the January transfer window. In this scenario, Sirigu would be the short-term starter for the remainder of the season, Mirante would be given a new deal to remain Roma's back up for another year, leaving Roma GM Tiago Pinto to scour the globe for a new permanent keeper this summer.

It's not an ideal situation, but the decisions made by Pinto's predecessors have painted Roma into a corner. And with no easy fix on the horizon, Sirigu may be the proverbial spoonful of sugar that helps the medicine go down.