CdS: Roma Closing in On Barella Deal

Today has been yet another stressful day in the Romaverse. First we awoke to the news that not only was Daniele De Rossi remaining in Serie A but that he'd chosen Roma's sometimes rival Fiorentina. Then, a few hours later, De Rossi appeared to change his mind, reportedly opting to remain retired. Fair enough; I certainly can't imagine how much angst this whole process has caused De Rossi, so some indecisiveness was expected. Following that will he or won't he, we were dealt a swift blow to budding fan favorite Luca Pellegrini, who is being shipped off to Juventus in exchange for Leonardo Spinazzola.

Take all those rumors and stir them in the pot with the impending sale of Kostas Manolas, Roma's FFP woes and the lingering stories connecting Alessandro Florenzo to Inter Milan and it's been a trying week for the Roma soul.

Well, let me offer some good news(ish).

I say ish only because this rumor seems a tad bit too good to be true. For weeks people on the Peninsula assumed Nicolo Barella would be the centerpiece of Antonio Conte's Inter Milan makeover, and that Barella himself was desperate for this San Siro switch. So when we'd catch wind of Roma gradually upping their offer, it seemed well-intentioned if a bit foolhardy.

Well, if the Corriere dello Sport is correct, Roma may have found a breakthrough for 22-year-old midfielder. Per the CdS, Roma have offered €35 million plus the rights to Gregoire Defrel to land Barella. Taken together, that constitutes roughly a €50 million offer, a neighborhood Roma has never visited.

So confident in this story are the CdS that they're slapping it on the front-page of their Saturday edition, but you know the old saying: give me the scarf photo or give me death.

There is every chance Inter Milan can still swoop in and claim Barella, but needless to say, adding Barella with the likes of Amadou Diawara, Lorenzo Pellegrini, Nicolo Zaniolo and even Bryan Cristante gives Roma a young, talented and dynamic midfield around which they can build their next successful squad.

Keep your fingers crossed. Landing Barella would be MASSIVE.