Sevilla midfielder Steven Nzonzi is on his to the Italian capital to join Roma after an agreement was agreed between the two clubs last night. Sky Italia report that the fee is between €28m and €30m plus bonuses and this deal should be completed by the close of play today.
The former Stoke City and Blackburn Rovers player has come on leaps and bounds in the last few years at Sevilla and played an important part in France’s World Cup success this summer, even coming off the bench to replace N’Golo Kante in the final v Croatia.
This is a huge signing for Sevilla, who are getting round to spending some of the £63m that they were given by Liverpool for keeper Alisson Becker, are looking to strengthen their squad ahead of their Serie A opener against Torino on Sunday.
Arsenal and Barcelona have both been linked with Nzonzi throughout this window but Barca now look like they have missed out on signing this La Liga man. The Gunners had accepted they would not be able to complete a deal when the Premier League transfer window shut on Thursday.
Having already signed big players such as Javier Pastore, Justin Kluivert, Gregoire Defrel and Davide Santon in this window, they are looking set for a big campaign this summer, even if they have lost their goalkeeper. Copenhagen’s Robin Olsen has come in to contest for the number one shirt and should be a solid replacement for the Brazilian.
Nzonzi will be a big influence on this team and new boss Eusebio Di Francesco will know he has a reliable presence in the centre of midfield. He is due to have his medical this afternoon and if all goes well, he could be a Roma player by the end of the day.
