According to Corriere dello Sport, AS Roma has identified Zenit winger Luiz Henrique as a new attacking target. The club is pursuing a more feasible agreement, hoping to recruit him on an initial loan with an option to buy, deferring payment by up to a year.

The report states that Roma's original priority targets for wing reinforcement were Gittens and Fofana, but neither Chelsea nor Olympique Lyonnais are currently willing to meet Roma's demands regarding deal structure. Roma wants to recruit a winger for a total of around 35-40 million euros, but due to UEFA financial restrictions, the club cannot pay in full immediately. They therefore prefer a "loan with optional purchase clause, which would become a mandatory purchase upon meeting certain conditions" structure.

Roma has invested heavily in the Mora deal, paying Porto 25 million euros upfront and another 25 million euros in the future, making similar direct expenditure unlikely in the short term. The Balerdi deal was also concluded with similar financial considerations.

Luiz Henrique, 25, plays as an attacking winger. Roma believes his physicality, explosive acceleration, one-on-one dribbling, and ball-carrying ability meet Gasperini's tactical needs, and he also possesses certain goal-scoring capability.

The Brazilian came through Fluminense's youth academy and joined Betis in 2022, but only scored 4 goals in two seasons, including one against Roma at Stadio Olimpico in the 2022-23 Europa League. He later returned to Brazil and won the Copa Libertadores with Botafogo in 2024.

Thanks to his outstanding performances in Brazil, Luiz Henrique was positioned to return to a top European league, but ultimately chose to join Zenit. According to reports, his annual net salary at Zenit is around 4 million euros.

Roma's sporting director D'Amico has quietly advanced this deal and is first exploring Zenit's willingness to accept deferred payments. The report indicates that if Zenit flatly refuses to accept the main transfer fee a year later, negotiations would be difficult to continue. Currently, it appears the Russian side is at least willing to consider this structure.

The total cost for Luiz Henrique could reach 37 million euros plus bonuses, slightly below Stuttgart winger Jamal Musiala's valuation. Roma has also previously inquired about Musiala, but Stuttgart has not accepted Roma's proposed payment method.

Meanwhile, Gittens and Fofana are not entirely off Roma's transfer list. Particularly Gittens—if Chelsea is willing to relax deal conditions and accept a conditional purchase option, Roma may still return to negotiate.

Roma reached personal terms with Fofana around two weeks ago, but Olympique Lyonnais wants a direct transfer fee of 35 million euros. Because Roma has been slow to meet this demand, Olympique Lyonnais recently initiated contact with Sunderland.

Additionally, Roma is also eyeing Arroyo from Cruzeiro, believing this forward also qualifies to play as a winger in Gasperini's 3-4-2-1 system.

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