Roma to Sign Abdulhamid, Target Lens Star Defender

Roma have shaken hands with Al-Hilal and PIF to bring in Saud Abdulhamid but won’t stop at him to address their defense as they have lodged a substantial bid for Lens’ Kevin Danso. The fullback will be the first Saudi player to star in Serie A.

According to Sky, the Giallorossi will pay €2.5M plus bonuses, and he’ll sign a three-year contract. His former team needed a replacement to greenlight his departure and are closing in on Joao Cancelo from Manchester City. The 25-year-old has spent his entire career in his home country and got his start at Al-Ittihad before transferring in 2022. He has accumulated over 200 appearances, recording 7 goals and 27 assists. He has 28 caps with the national team.

Saud Abdulhamid will put pen to paper with Roma on Tuesday, while the Giallorossi are hopeful for a positive outcome of the negotiation to onboard Danso. They have proposed a €1M season-long loan with a €21.5M obligation to buy and €1M add-ons.

The Ligue 1 club wants more to accept. The center-back has been a staple since coming over from Augsburg in 2021. He has registered 117 appearances in France and has been a regular for Austria as well.

Our Take on Roma, Saud Abdulhamid and Danso

The former is an interesting signing provided they pair him with somebody better than Zeki Celik in case his skill-set doesn’t translate to European football. It’s noteworthy that they are going big-game hunting in the back, where they need one man but not necessarily an elite option, while they have a few other more pressing needs.