The difference Wesley made last season was easy to see. The young Brazilian was a menace down the flanks, scoring timely goals and providing plenty of pace down Roma’s wings. Unfortunately for Roma, Wesley never got to play much on his natural right side due to a lingering issue that kept Angeliño miss essentially the entire season.
With the Spaniard on the shelf and Liverpool loanee Kostas Tsimikas underwhelming, Wesley was often deployed on the left, with players like Zeki Çelik and Devyne Rensch
on the right. Tsimikas has already returned to Anfield. Rumor has it that Angeliño could be considering an exit and a return to his native Spain, with Real Betis and Deportivo La Coruña in pursuit. Additionally, Anass Salah-Eddine, who is coming off a strong loan spell at PSV, isn’t guaranteed to stick around in the Capital, as the Dutch side hopes to bring him back.
That means, despite attacking links like Mason Greenwood and Christian Pulisic dominating the rumor mill, Roma will also have to add a player at full-back who can push the wing opposite Wesley. We’ve already seen former Gian Piero Gasperini disciple Matteo Ruggeri linked with the club in recent weeks.
Ruggeri is still considered one of the preferred targets for that position, but another name has emerged as someone Gasperini appreciates: Diego Moreira of Strasbourg. Moreira is a 21-year-old Belgian fullback. The report from Forza Roma states that Roma has already approached Strasbourg for Moreira, but the price tag was an elevated €35 million, with the youngster currently deployed with the Belgian national team at the World Cup.
However, that price could come down a bit if Belgium flops at the tournament. That would allow Roma to circle back to Strasbourg in mid-July for the player that the report labels as Gapserini’s favorite profile for the left side.
The report also mentions other names, including Ruggeri and Atalanta’s Lorenzo Bernasconi—another player who Gasperini brought through the La Dea ranks. Both players are said to be valued at around €25 million. However, a deal with Atalanta would prove difficult, with relations between the clubs at a low point after Gasperini and new DS Tony D’Amico left Bergamo for Rome.
A few other names appear in the report, including 23-year-old Nicoló Savona of Nottingham Forest. The Italian is a product of the Juve youth system but never really found his footing in the EPL after an early-season knee injury. Forza Roma speculates that Forest’s interest in Jan Ziolkowski could facilitate a move for Savona. Other links include Dodò of Fiorentina and Merlin of Rennes.
