Roma hoping to sell £25million Emerson Palmieri to Liverpool ahead of Juventus after Radja Nainggolan’s China move fell through
Belgian was all set to join Guangzhou Evergrande for £44m, but 'luxury tax' on top saw plug pulled on potential transfer
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ROMA are hoping to sell Emerson Palmieri to Liverpool after Radja Nainggolan's move to Guangzhou Evergrande fell through, according to reports.
The Belgian midfielder looked on the verge of completing a move to the Chinese Super League winners after a fee of £44.39million had been agreed between the two parties.
Guangzhou pulled out at the 11th hour because a new law in China meant that, with "luxury tax" added on top, the total price would have come to around £70m.
Roma are still looking to sell in January, and it means Emerson is now prime candidate for the exit door.
Juventus are keen, but Gazzetta dello Sport report the Giallorossi would prefer he moved to Liverpool rather than one of their arch-rivals.
The left-back, 23, has struggled to get back in the team following an eight-month injury lay-off due to the impressive performances of Aleksandar Kolarov.
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New football director Monchi has been charged with overhauling the squad and would then look at bringing in Matteo Darmian at a lower price.
On Friday evening, Nainggolan was effectively a Guangzhou player and was even contacting former Serie A players in China for information.
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Monchi was hoping the sale of the Belgian would fund the signings of highly-rated youngsters Ante Coric and Nicolo Barella.
Kevin Strootman is another who could be heading for the exit door this month.