AS Roma have completed the signing of Newcastle defender Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa on a permanent basis.
The Frenchman joined the Giallorossi in September on a season-long loan, with Roma having an option to make the deal permanent. Rudi Garcia’s side have now exercised the right, signing the 25-year-old for a fee of €7.35m, the Italian side confirmed.
A club statement read: “Newcastle United defender Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa has completed a transfer to AS Roma after meeting a contractual condition contained in the loan agreement between the clubs,”
“The French defender joined Roma on a loan deal in September 2014 but it has now become a permanent move.”
Corporate: Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa http://t.co/Qvj3ePigyg #Mapou #ASRoma
— AS Roma (@OfficialASRoma) January 27, 2015
Newcastle recruited Yanga-Mbiwa two years ago from Montpellier in a €10 million deal following his stellar performances with the Ligue 1 side. He went on to appear 17 times under then Magpies manager Alan Pardew.
Roma meanwhile are also closing on a deal to sign Ukrainian winger Yevhen Konoplyanka. The 25-year-old, who has been linked to Everton and Roma, appears to be moving to Italy after initially preferring a move to England.
Dnipro’s general director Andrei Stetsenko has now claimed that Roma are in pole position to land Konoplyanka.
“Dnipro and Roma are in talks over the transfer of Konoplyanka. The clubs are almost in agreement, and the boy is considering the possibility of changing teams.
“The club are ready for such an eventuality and are looking for a replacement,” he told fcdnipro.com.
Liverpool failed to sign Konoplyanka last winter, with Liverpool’s Chief Executive Officer Ian Ayre even flying to Ukraine to negotiate the deal. But Dnipro president Ihor Kolomoyskyi’s refusal to sanction the player’s release clause meant the Reds were left disappointed in the pursuit of the Dnipro’s star.
Konoplyanka has appeared 21 times for the Ukrainian side across all competitions this season, scoring four goals, also setting up four.
The 25-year-old could arrive at the Italian capital for a very modest fee, with his contract set to expire in the summer.
Roma are also close to signing Chelsea’s Egyptian winger Mohamed Salah, while they are also contemplating move for Shakhtar Donetsk forward Douglas Costa.
Image Courtesy: asroma.it, The Guardian