Roma Closing In On Cristante

Just days ago reports emerged that Roma could be looking to Atalanta to upgrade their midfield by moving for Bryan Cristante. The mezzala is seen as an ideal fit in EDF’s central midfield. Now it looks like those rumors are closer to becoming a reality. This morning Corriere dello Sport are reporting that Cristante wants a move to the capital and has already agreed to personal terms on a five-year contract at around two million Euros per season.

The Italian sports daily reports that Roma were keen to agree to terms with player early on, to avoid a similar situation to last season when Milan swooped in and signed Kessie away from under their noses. It’s reported that Juve are the main competition for Cristante after Lazio’s failure to finish in the top four. However, reports state that Juve haven’t made an offer yet and it looks like Monci wants to lock up the player before they do.

The next step for Roma is to agree to terms with Atalanta to make the transfer a reality. Corriere says that the Bergamaschi originally valued the player at around 35 million Euros, but have lowered their requests. It’s reported that they could accept 26 million plus a player in exchange. The names being reported in a possible cash plus player deal are Defrel, Gerson, and Tumminello. Atalanta will be given their choice of the three. Each player would probably go to Bergamo on a loan with option to buy clause. This would ensure that Roma don’t lose out monetarily on a deal, given the varying transfer values of each. In the case of Tumminello, a buyback clause would likely be part of the deal for the youth system product, ala Pellegrini’s at Sassuolo.

Check back with us on CdT for updates on the Cristante reports, as it seems like a situation worth monitoring.