Roma are praying that Leicester City pay the required £20 million fee to turn Cengiz Under’s loan deal into a permanent contract at the end of this season, as reported by Calciomercato.
Whether they will get their wish, however, remains to be seen.
After all, the Turkey international has not exactly set the world alight in his debut Premier League season.
There have been a few moments of brilliance, those break-neck assists against Arsenal and Leeds, not to mention a stunning Europa League strike in the clash with AEK Athens.
But, thanks to the impressive form of Marc Albrighton and Harvey Barnes, Under has found game-time increasingly hard to come by at the King Power.
He was an unused substitute during Sunday’s 0-0 draw with Wolves, left on the sidelines even as Brendan Rodgers’ side struggled to create chances in the final third.
In fact, Under has played just over 30 minutes of Premier League football in the last two months. This is not good news for a Roma side who were hoping that Under’s departure would add £20 million to their increasingly-bare coffers.
Like almost every club in Serie A, the Giallorossi are embarking on a cost-cutting regime with talisman Edin Dzeko, and his £130,000-a-week wages, expected to be sacrificed as they look to make do and mend.
Calciomercato’s claims do cast some doubt, however, on the structure of Under’s contract at Leicester.
Some have stated that Leicester have an ‘obligation’ to buy the 23-year-old next summer. CM, though, suggests that the Foxes may still have the ‘option’ to walk away from the deal.
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