Arsenal and Liverpool stars among Roma targets.AS Roma manager Rudi Garcia has lined up three main targets to come in if the likes of Mehdi Benatia, Kevin Strootman and Mattia Destro leave the club this summer, with the Italian giants set to raid the Premier League.
The Italian giants face losing a number of their key players this summer as the likes of Chelsea, Manchester United and Bayern Munich plot raids on Destro, Strootman and Benatia, respectively, and they will need three new signings to come in as replacements if the star trio do leave the Stadio Olimpico.
Having finished runners-up to Juventus in Serie A last season, Roma will be hoping to maintain their improvement in Serie A and also progress in the Champions League this season, with three big names chosen by Garcia to potentially link up with his squad in the Italian capital.
3) Daniel Agger (Liverpool)
The first name on Roma’s list is Liverpool’s out-of-favour defender Daniel Agger, who has also been linked with the likes of Arsenal, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid this summer. The experienced Danish international has been a top performer at Anfield in his career on Merseyside, though he now looks to be on his way out of the club after a slight dip in form last season. Brendan Rodgers is seemingly ready to let Agger go for just £12m, and he could make a decent, solid replacement for Benatia at the back.
2) Alex Song (Barcelona)
Former Arsenal midfielder Alex Song is also on Roma’s shortlist, and they will hope to pounce on his potential availability before the end of the summer if they lose influential midfielder Kevin Strootman to Manchester United. Although a slightly different player from the Dutchman, Song has played as the creative midfielder in a deep-lying role during his time at Arsenal, even if he has struggled to make any kind of impact since leaving the Emirates Stadium for Barcelona in 2012. Still, Song looks a good, cheap option for Roma and they will hope to beat off competition from the likes of Liverpool and Napoli for his signature.
1) Lukas Podolski (Arsenal)
Finally, Roma would look to Arsenal forward Lukas Podolski to come in upfront if Mattia Destro leaves the club for Chelsea or Tottenham Hotspur. Their prolific Italian international has attracted plenty of interest after his fine form last season, and would need replacing upfront with a proven attacking player and goalscorer. Podolski, meanwhile, faces an uncertain future at Arsenal after being recently linked with the likes of Galatasaray. Although the German international has done well in the Premier League, he has not always been first choice under Arsene Wenger, and it is thought that the Frenchman may be ready to offload him due to his high wages, particularly with impressive youngsters Yaya Sanogo and Joel Campbell coming through. The former Cologne man could also link up with his old Arsenal team-mate Gervinho in Rome.
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