Roma and Samir Handanovic: A Potential Match?

Morgan De Sanctis has availed himself quite well in his nearly two years with the club--33 clean sheets in 59 appearances--but that doesn't change the fact that he'll soon turn 38-years-old, an advanced age, even on a keeper's timeline. With little but the relatively untested, and still just 23-years-old, Lukasz Skorupski waiting behind him, Roma are rightly on the market for an experienced man between the sticks; one old enough to weather the ups and downs of big-time football, yet no so old to block Skorupski or any other keeper-of-the-future that Walter Sabatini has designs on; enter Samir Handanovic, Inter's  Slovenian penalty stopping expert.

Handanovic, who is no slouch in his own right, is apparently not too keen on the Nerazzurri's near future, as he is reportedly looking to jump ship from Inter Milan, with Roma among a list of possible landing spots. Handanovic, 30-years-old, has reportedly had enough of Inter's European hiatus and is pining to jump back into the Champions League fray.

Handanovic, as you might remember, was, as recently three years ago, considered one of the game's best up and coming keepers, moving to Inter from Udinese for €11m in the summer of 2012. From the jump, Handanovic was an immediate success, earning a spot on the Serie A team of the year in 2012-2013, thanks in part to his nine clean sheets that season. All told, Handanovic has made 112 appearances for Inter, keeping 44 clean sheets along the way, all for Nerazzurri sides that have been middling at best.

Barring a massive reversal of fortunes for the downtrodden 18-time Italian champions, Inter Milan might be a willing negotiating partner, as Handanovic is only a year away from free agency. Despite the fact that Inter have reportedly offered a three year contract extension, if the rumors prove true, the Slovenian could be had for a tidy €15m.

Using Handanovic and Petr Cech as barometers, it appears as though Roma's ideal keeper is an experienced, early to mid-thirties keeper, one with ample experience and an motivation to prove he's still worthy of being the top choice between the sticks.

While Handanovic's CV pales in comparison to Cech's, his familiarity with the language and the league could be the deciding factor. So what do we think? Who would we choose? Does Roma even need a stopgap keeper?