Roma eye up Zagadou as defence

José Mourinho’s AS Roma is in talk with free-agent Dan-Axel Zagadou, who has reportedly made his contract demands clear.

The 23-year-old French center-back, who left Dortmund last month after the expiration of his contract, is now looking for the right place to take the next step of his career and he has no shortage of suitors. As reported by La Repubblica, Zagadou, who is also linked with a move to Inter Milan, has asked for a four-year contract worth around €2.5m net per season. 

On the other hand, Jose Mourinho is keen to push a move after cracking some terrific deals for Paulo Dybala and Georginio Wijnaldum. Bringing in a promising defender like Zagadou would represent a solid window for the Italian giants. Roma would look to offer the 23-year-old a deal if they can sort out the salary.

Zagadou was regarded as one of the most promising defenders before a series of injury problems, who joined Dortmund from Paris Saint-Germain Academy in 2017. Despite his fairly young age, Zagadou comes with a fair bit of experience having played over 4,000 Bundesliga and 1,000 UCL minutes for Dortmund, ending up with four goals in 92 appearances.