It seems that Roma may be jumping on Bologna’s Arnautovic, without ceasing to court Marcos Leonardo, the talented young forward from Santos.
Arnautovic could be a concrete target for Roma in case of Belotti’s departure: the former Torino man is a center forward not suited to Jose Mourinho’s game and is expected to be on his way out. Marcos Leonardo also continues to be in Roma’s sights, although the green light from the Giallorossi ownership has not yet arrived.
Santos can sell the champion for 18 million, 10 of fixed part and eight of bonus or to be paid later. The purchase could therefore be installment. It seems, however, that Mourinho continues to call for Morata–perhaps the Arnautovic and Marcos Leonardo pairing could appease him.
Augusto Ciardi, a well-known journalist, speaking at the microphones of calciomercato.it, broadcast on Twitch TVPLAY channel, talked about the two strikers that Roma could deploy in the upcoming season: Marcos Leonardo and Marko Arnautovic.
“If you match an Arnautovic with Marcos Leonardo, Mourinho might be pleased,” Ciardi began. “For Mourinho, the incentive of having the Brazilian could be to launch a great footballer in the future.”
“Should he arrive, he would be picked up and put in Europe, he would not leave immediately ready and go. A coach is reassured when such a striker has a henchman next to him. If there is not a twenty-seven- or twenty-eight-year-old on the roster, you take a player the coach likes. And between Mourinho and Arnautovic there is a good feeling. This Marcos Leonardo-Arnautovic pairing would make Mourinho happy. “
Mourinho calls Arnoutovic: “The perfect stud for Marcos Leonardo “
According to Ciardi, Thiago Motta’s obvious malaise also stems from the Arnautovic-Roma deal: “Motta had big problems with him. They have clashed in the past. But the coach cannot afford to lose such an important element. “
Marko Arnautovic celebrates a goal with Bologna
“There has been speculation about a trade with Belotti. Upstream there is a tactical issue, when you talk about Mourinho you talk more about other things than technique. Jose has noticed like everyone else that Roma has a slow and predictable maneuver. Both because there are no great offensive schemes and because of the characteristics there. In short, Belotti is not suited to the game the Portuguese would like.”
“Mourinho theorized a different Roma by having at his disposal players who can manage more,” the interviewee concluded. “That kind of maneuvering he wanted from a midfielder he found in the striker. The players were all convinced, the hard part is convincing the clubs. “