Roma sign Sardar Azmoun from Bayer Leverkusen

Roma have announced the arrival of Iran international Sardar Azmoun from Bayer Leverkusen on loan with an option to buy. According to the official Twitter release, the 28-year-old will don the number 17 shirt.

If Azmoun meets Jose Mourinho’s requirements, Roma can make his move permanent for around €12 million next summer. The acquisition of the so-called ‘Iranian Messi’ has been the Italians’ last-gasp attempt to plug the hole left by Tammy Abraham’s long-term injury.

Mourinho has been in the market for a new center-forward since the beginning of the summer. However, his quests to sign Alvaro Morata and Gianluca Scamacca fell flat, with the former committing his future to Atletico Madrid and the latter swapping West Ham for Atalanta.

Left with only a handful of options in the market, Roma have turned to Azmoun. After going from strength to strength in the Russian Premier League for almost a decade, he joined Leverkusen in January 2022. However, his experience in the Bundesliga wasn’t nearly as prolific.

Following the capture of Victor Boniface, his days at Leverkusen were numbered. But Roma have offered him a chance to reignite his career in Serie A. Despite Andrea Belotti’s stellar start to the season, Mourinho may not end his pursuit of a new marksman even after signing Azmoun.

Talks between the parties are underway after Mourinho convinced his former Manchester United pupil to join him at the Stadio Olimpico.