Giacomo Raspadori has given the green light to join Roma in January, and Gian Piero Gasperini hopes the Giallorossi will welcome both the Italian striker and Joshua Zikrzee next month.

Roma are working to give Gasperini attacking reinforcements in the winter transfer window and, as already reported on Thursday, the Giallorossi could sign two players up front next month.

Raspadori agrees to join Roma

Sources with a direct knowledge of the matter tell me that Raspadori has already given the green light to move to the Stadio Olimpico from Atletico Madrid, the club he joined last summer from Napoli.

Now the Giallorossi are due to negotiate with the Colchoneros to bring the first winter reinforcement to the capital, possibly on loan with an option to buy or an obligation tied to certain objectives.

Roma still keen on Zirkzee

Gasperini hopes that club-to-club negotiations won’t last long, so he’ll soon welcome a new player in attack.

The Roma coach, however, has prioritised the purchase of Manchester United striker Zirkzee, and a double deal in attack can’t be ruled out.

Olympique Marseille have serious ambitions, and they are proving it this season, with the club set to keep a hold of Juventus-linked Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.

The January transfer window could offer an opportunity to strengthen those ambitions further, perhaps with one or two well-targeted signings.

However, president Pablo Longoria has now definitively ruled out the possibility of selling Hojbjerg, a cornerstone not only of the midfield but also a dressing-room leader and an indispensable figure within the squad.

No luck for Juventus as Marseille hold on to Hojbjerg

The supposed interest from Juventus never developed into anything concrete, nor did it even reach the stage of preliminary talks. In truth, the situation had already been clear for several weeks.

Roberto De Zerbi, speaking previously on Sportitalia, had already closed the door, underlining the importance of the 30-year-old Danish midfielder to Marseille’s tactical balance and internal structure.

This is yet another confirmation of how difficult it often is to prise away key players in January, especially those considered pillars of a club with clear objectives and long-term plans.

Roma want reinforcements in January and the plan is to secure at least two signings, targeting both Joshua Zirkzee from Manchester United and Atletico Madrid’s Giacomo Raspadori.

It is well known that the engines have been revving in the background for over a month when it comes to Zirkzee, but we revealed last night that the work is intensifying rapidly to get the Italian too.

The idea now is to get at least two strikers to bolster their options, because Roma need real additions, considering Paulo Dybala could stay in January, but his fate is practically sealed with the contract expiring at the end of the season.

Roma forwards are not delivering for Gasperini

New signings can also influence the future of Tommaso Baldanzi, as Verona and others are pushing for him, while Leon Bailey has been unconvincing even when he wasn’t injured.

Stephan El Shaarawy is another forward whose contract is down to the final few months.

We also must not forget that one of the current two centre-forwards could be out soon enough, as Gian Piero Gasperini is trying to get the best out of Evan Ferguson, waiting for Artem Dovbyk to get back to fitness.

The Giallorossi are looking at various talented prospects (for example Giovane of Verona), but need someone reliable to make this second half of the season more ambitious.

Cagliari director Guido Angelozzi is an admirer of Atalanta’s Marco Brescianini and has been pushing to sign the midfielder since the start of December.

Cagliari are expected to be busy in the January transfer window, possibly signing one player in each department.

The Sardinian’s sporting director Angelozzi, is an admirer of Atalanta midfielder Marco Brescianini, who is facing an uncertain future in Bergamo.

Sources with a direct knowledge of the matter confirm to me that Cagliari are strongly interested in the Italian, who is regarded by Angelozzi as one of the most modern midfielders in Serie A.

The Cagliari director knows Brescianini very well, having already crossed paths with the 25-year-old at Frosinone in 2023-24. Angelozzi has been pushing for a deal for a couple of weeks, but Atalanta have yet to make a decision on the player’s future.

However, there’s a chance that Brescianini leaves Bergamo in January as two or three other Serie A clubs have already sounded out the club’s availability.

Cagliari will try to beat the competition to add another quality Italian player to their team.

Soon, there will be new updates, but now the first move belongs to Atalanta.

Not only Joshua Zirkzee – as revealed more than a month ago, Roma’s radar continues to include other attacking profiles, and the club are working hard on Giacomo Raspadori, who is set to leave Atlético Madrid.

We have already explained that Raspadori is also liked by Lazio, who are currently at a standstill on the market.

Gian Piero Gasperini appreciates Raspadori, wanted him previously in Bergamo and considers him, as outlined yesterday, a second striker.

Roma make contact with Raspadori to reinforce attack

Roma are maintaining direct contacts with the player’s entourage, and a double move cannot be ruled out, especially given the broader attacking picture.

Leon Bailey is not guaranteed to stay, while Tommaso Baldanzi could also leave, with interest from Verona and others. There is also the situation of Stephan El Shaarawy, whose contract is nearing its expiry.

The directive from ownership is clear: meet Gasperini’s requests following his excellent initial impact with the Giallorossi. Major manoeuvres are underway.

Weston McKennie has shown himself to be useful and valuable even in Spalletti’s Juventus. Versatility is his main asset.

Under Thiago Motta he has even played a match as a centre-forward. If he were to score goals regularly or fill in as a central defender, he would practically have covered every role on the pitch. From time to time he scores important goals, very important ones.

There is, however, a contractual aspect that cannot be ignored. The American, born in 1998, is out of contract in June, and for now there are no advanced talks over a renewal.

Juventus focus on Yildiz as McKennie talks stall

The negative turning point has a clear timeline and dates back to late last spring, when an agreement was being put together and was just steps away from completion. Then everything collapsed, due to commissions that were deemed too high.

Juventus are currently focused on Kenan Yildiz and have not reopened the McKennie file. Soon we will understand whether there will be a new attempt or whether the situation will drift naturally towards the contract’s expiry.

Thiago Silva and Sergio Ramos are two great defenders, but with one turning 41 in September and the other who will be 40 in March, signing them would be an act of faith.

The former AC Milan and Chelsea centre-back has decided to leave Fluminense six months before the end of his current contract, while the ex-Real Madrid legend announced the termination of his rapport with Monterrey.

Both would love to come back to the European football that really matters, and have been linked with Serie A, but so far we haven’t seen any movement on that front.

Thiago Silva and Sergio Ramos represent the past

The bond with Milan is more about nostalgia that will never fade, seeing as Thiago Silva was an unforgettable pillar of that squad, but there’s nothing more to it.

The same is true for Sergio Ramos, who wrote memorable pages in the history books of football, but seeing as clubs must look to the future and not the past, signing him would require an act of faith.

It’s not just about the economics of these operations, but their ages have to be taken into account too.

Gian Piero Gasperini has a wish list for the Roma attack and it’s in a clear order, with Joshua Zirkzee first, Yuri Alberto second, and Giacomo Raspadori only third.

The Giallorossi know they need to secure some reinforcements over the January transfer window and their recent results show the need for a reliable centre-forward, even if it is an atypical one.

Gasperini will be heavily involved in the selection process and Zirkzee is at the top of his list.

The Manchester United outcast is considered to be a centre-forward, with Raspadori as a support striker who can also play in a wider role.

Why Zirkzee is the hot favourite for Roma

The former Napoli player had been appreciated by Gasperini when still in charge of Atalanta, although that was to play off centre.

So the coach would gladly bring both in, but if that is not possible, then his pick would be Zirkzee.

Now it is up to director Frederic Massara to push Manchester United into getting a deal done quickly, not waiting until mid or late January.

It is also true that Gasperini would like Yuri Alberto, but he is seen as an alternative to Zirkzee, while Beto is mentioned largely because both Everton and Roma have the same owners.

This isn’t a priority, and would only be pursued if Artem Dovbyk were to move on.

It is confirmed that Gasp also likes Giovane of Hellas Verona, who is on the wish list of Inter and Napoli already.

Raspadori is seeking a new club, seeing as he never got much playing time with Atletico Madrid, so it’d be ideal for Roma if Tommaso Baldanzi (liked by Verona) or Stephan El Shaarawy were to make way.

Jack knows that Maurizio Sarri is an admirer and would gladly take him to Lazio as a centre-forward, but a lot depends on Taty Castellanos.

We talked about Rafik Belghali a couple of weeks ago and can now confirm top Italian clubs set their sights on the Verona right-back, including Juventus, Inter and Roma.

The Algerian with a Belgian passport has been a major protagonist with Verona so far this season and is helping their climb up the table with back-to-back wins.

This operation cost €1.5m plus bonuses at the time from Mechelen, and now his value on the transfer market has increased by at least a factor of 10.

If we were to suggest around €15m for his price-tag, we wouldn’t be far off the reality of the situation.

Belghali wanted by Inter, Juventus and Roma

Now we can confirm that all the big Italian clubs appreciate Belghali and are keeping a close eye on his progress.

Juve really like him, Inter had asked for information even before the Denzel Dumfries injury and consequent surgery.

Roma appreciate the player too, despite already having Wesley on that flank, and have spoken to Verona about both Giovane and Tommaso Baldanzi.

Hellas hope to keep Belghali to the end of the season, seeing as they need all the help they can get to avoid relegation, but that depends on what offers come in.