Report: Roma Closing in On Deal With Free Agent Evan Ndicka

While there are certain advantages to signing free agents over paying the exorbitant fees that come with traditional transfers, with Roma facing possible Financial Fair Play sanctions, the Giallorossi may have no choice but to focus on free agents this summer. FFP concerns notwithstanding, Roma has found success in the Bosman market in recent seasons, landing savvy veterans like Pedro, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, and Paulo Dybala, among others.

Whether it's due solely to the club's cloudy financial future or not, Roma is primed to exploit the free-agent market again this summer. Late last week, we passed along word that the Giallorossi have an agreement in place with Lyon midfielder Houssem Aouar, who will become a free agent on July 1st. According to those reports, Roma will sign the 24-year-old midfielder to a five-year deal, giving José Mourinho added cover in midfield.

But wait, there's more...

According to reports from calciomercato.com, who in turn cite the Corriere dello Sport, Roma is poised to beat several clubs to Eintracht Frankfurt defender Evan N'Dicka. The 23-year-old French center-back has spent the past five seasons in the Bundesliga, racking up 130 league appearances since 2018. Standing a shade under 6'3", N'Dicka brings considerable size to the backline, and as an added bonus, he's a natural lefty.

While nothing is official (far from it), speculation holds that Roma will sign N'Dicka to a multi-year deal worth in the neighborhood of €2.5 million.

We'll continue to track this story throughout the spring, but adding two intriguing talents like Aouar and N'Dicka on free transfers would be incredibly shrewd business for a club likely to pinch pennies (or the European equivalent) for the foreseeable future.