Roma Probe Braga Star Amid Negotiation with Atalanta

Roma have added Abel Ruiz to the list of strikers they are eyeing, which is getting longer by the day. The negotiations to onboard Duvan Zapata and Marcos Leonardo are progressing very slowly.

According to Gianluca Di Marzio, the Giallorossi had initial contacts with Sporting Braga to gather intel about the Spaniard. He has been with them since 2010 when he joined in a €8M move from Barcelona. He has logged 30 goals and 17 appearances with them. The 23-year-old has two caps with his national team.

On top of Abel Ruiz, Roma has Willian José and Armando Broja as their fallback plans. They hoped to strike a deal with Atalanta for Zapata in a hurry, but both parties are digging their heels in, La Gazzetta dello Sport informs (via OneFootball).

La Dea demanded €2M as a fee for the loan and a €7M option to buy that would easily become an obligation. The Giallorossi tendered less. Moreover, the striker would accept only if the transfer was somewhat permanent.

Our Take on Roma, Abel Ruiz, and Zapata

It’s starting to look like a wild-goose chase, even though testing the waters for multiple targets is par for the courses, especially since they continue to operate on a budget despite cashing in on Roger Ibanez. Armando Broja would combine their necessities of adding both a physical striker and somebody with potential.