Roma eye Atletico's Lookman, but Simeone's conditions make a January move hard

Roma are already looking beyond the expiry of Marten de Roon's contract, with the club reportedly keen to extend the Dutch midfielder's deal for next season if he continues playing at his current level. Il Corriere dello Sport reports that the board would be prepared to retain him beyond his current contract, should the 35-year-old decide to keep playing and the season continue at the current standard, a scenario considered likely at present. De Roon arrived in the summer to reunite with Gian Piero Gasperini and bring experience and reliability to the new Giallorossi project. He has shown important qualities both technically and physically, and he will turn 36 in March, an age that does not appear to be an obstacle. The former Atalanta player has shown he can meet the demands of Gasperini's football, quickly becoming a reference point for the midfield and the dressing room. The financial side is not expected to complicate any agreement. Over the summer the player had already preferred the chance to work again with Gasperini, who had personally contacted him to convince him to move to the capital. De Roon's priority, the report says, remains to be useful to Roma and to his longtime coach. After his first weeks were devoted mainly to recovering his best condition, following a complicated summer, De Roon has gradually settled into his new daily life. He has moved to Casal Palocco, close to some of his teammates, and his relationship with Roma and the environment at Trigoria is strengthening. The first assessment is therefore already strongly positive, and according to the newspaper, should De Roon decide to continue his career, agreeing a renewal could become little more than a formality.

Roma radio pundits used the latest edition of the On Air roundup to debate the club's January transfer plans, with Daniele Lo Monaco of Radio Romanista claiming that Roma would win the Scudetto if they could sign Gittens and Endrick. He added: "If I could have Gittens and Endrick today, Roma would win the Scudetto. Or at least they would fight it out until the last matchday with Inter." The Italian headline also carries comments from Lorenzo Pes and Checco Oddo Casano on the UEFA financial verdict and its effect on the market. The main backdrop is the Financial Fair Play case. Gianluca Piacentini of Rete Sport said the UEFA ruling will come in May, and that the parameters had already been reported: the reduction of the squad cost and Roma's virtuous process, helped by Champions League money. He said: "I take it as good news, Roma are on a virtuous path." Casano disagreed on the market impact, saying: "Nobody has ever talked about a blocked market. Nobody at Trigoria is certain of a budget to spend in January, regardless of the UEFA matter." He added: "Not knowing what kind of verdict you will get, you cannot go to Real in January and say: 'Here are 70 million for Endrick'. You would risk worsening your position in the eyes of your judge." On the squad, Roberto Pruzzo said: "Roma have reacted well to the absences: Soulè has played very well and has at times taken the team in hand, while the striker up front has dropped off a little, but it seems to me you have absorbed the injuries well. Now you can restart with more certainties." Lo Monaco argued that Castro and Malen struggle to play together, as they do more or less the same things, and that Endrick could be the alternative to Dybala with Mora as a trequartista. Andrea Pugliese said Soulè and Dybala do their best work on the right and asked where Soulè would play once Dybala returns to the starting line-up, adding that Dybala would be almost certain to start in Parma. Petruzzi said Mora has scored 4 goals and Soulè has also scored, and that Dybala will play whenever he is at 100%. On Lookman, Mario Corsi said: "With Gasperini I would take Lookman. He has scored only one goal at Atletico Madrid, and maybe that is why they are ready to sell him." Pes said: "If I had to sign someone who can really help you, it would be Lookman. If there were the chance to work together again, the old grudges would be smoothed over." He also said that Gasperini does not want a Greenwood-type player but someone who can help, and that a midfield reinforcement may be needed given Koné's injury record and Pellegrini's absence. Pes added that a major sale is hard to see at this point of the season. Pes said the official FPF sanction will arrive in the spring, but that Roma will probably know something in the coming weeks. On the January window, he said: "We cannot take anything for granted, but something will be done." Nando Orsi, also of Radio Radio, defended Svilar, arguing that his absence has not cost Roma points in Serie A or the Champions League, and that the only goalkeeper without blame against Real was the goalkeeper himself.

Roma sporting director D'Amico has Nigerian winger Lookman on his list of attacking reinforcements, as the club look to give Gian Piero Gasperini the final pieces needed to compete on all fronts. Endrick remains the top name on the list, but a route to the former Atalanta forward has emerged in recent hours. Gasperini knows Lookman well, having been the coach who developed him into one of the best players in his role at Atalanta. That reputation convinced Atlético Madrid to invest millions to bring him to Spain. His time in the Spanish capital, however, has not gone as planned. After a strong start, Lookman has found it harder, playing less and having less impact. That has sparked early talk about his future and the possibility of a departure. According to Mundo Deportivo, Alemany does not want to let him leave without first identifying a concrete alternative. The message from Atlético is clear: a replacement must arrive first, and only then can a sale be discussed. Finding a player with Lookman's characteristics in January will not be simple, which is why the move could heat up mainly in the summer.