Premier League clubs target Koné as Roma demands €60m

Marseille defender Balerdi is joining Roma as cover for Evan N'Dicka, with financial pressures at the French club driving the sale. The centre-back can also operate as a right-sided defender in Gasperini's three-man defence and arrives with experience across multiple defensive positions. Last season under De Zerbi, Balerdi was among Ligue 1's most precise defenders, recording a 92% pass accuracy rate and recovering 5.4 balls per 90 minutes. He regularly anchored Marseille's build-up play, averaging 82 touches per match, which reflects his comfort on the ball during the construction phase. Roma have struggled to impose control in their build-up without a dedicated ball-playing midfielder since Paredes departed, making Balerdi's arrival a potentially significant piece of Gasperini's midfield puzzle. His background in central midfield gives him the technical security to start attacks from deep positions. The 2025–26 season showed Balerdi's defensive distribution was a core part of Marseille's structure, positioning him as more than a conventional centre-back for his new club.

Roma are evaluating Leonardo Balerdi, the Marseille captain, as a reinforcement for their defence in the closing stages of the transfer window. The 27-year-old Argentine central defender has been shaped by experience across South America, the Bundesliga and Ligue 1, and offers tactical flexibility within a three-man defence. In Roma's thinking, Balerdi could numerically fill the position vacated by Jan Ziółkowski, who is currently completing a transfer to Monza. Head coach Gian Piero Gasperini sees him primarily as competition for Evan N'Dicka, though his versatility would allow him to operate across multiple defensive positions. Balerdi was born in Villa Mercedes, Argentina, in 1999 and developed at Boca Juniors before joining Borussia Dortmund at twenty. His spell in Germany yielded limited continuity, but the move to Marseille in 2020 proved the turning point. In France he has become a cornerstone of the squad, earning the captain's armband under Roberto De Zerbi's management. The 2025–26 season saw him make 36 appearances for Marseille, scoring once and providing one assist, demonstrating the consistency he has achieved in his adopted league. As a right-footed centre-back, Balerdi combines physical strength, aggression and leadership presence. Beyond his core role, he can operate as a wide centre-back in a three, offering the flexibility Gasperini values for building play from deep and adapting to different defensive constructions. Balerdi made his Argentina debut in 2019 and has become an established international. His potential arrival would add depth and experience to Roma's backline during a season that includes Champions League football, allowing Gasperini to rotate his defensive unit without altering the team's structural shape.

Roma are finalising the signing of Leonardo Balerdi from Olympique Marseille, with the deal entering its final stages. Tony D'Amico has negotiated a loan with an obligation to buy subject to certain conditions being met. The move comes after Roma abandoned their pursuit of Jayden Oosterwolde, with head coach Gian Piero Gasperini seeking to strengthen his defence in the closing days of the transfer window. Bareldi, a 1999-born Argentine right-footed defender, can play as a centre-back and brings the aggression in pressing, ability to support attacks, and composure in building play that Gasperini requires for a defence operating high up the pitch. The loan deal with conditional obligation represents a different approach to the Oosterwolde pursuit but allows Gasperini to add a defender with significant international experience to his squad. An initial one-year contract plus four further years, binding Balerdi to Roma until 2031, has already been agreed. The deal would be completed in the final days of the market, following the collapse of Roma's earlier operation, the Fenerbahçe deal. According to Nicolò Schira, the transfer is now in its closing stages and could be confirmed shortly.