Roma: Manolas part of Vermaelen deal?

By Football Italia staff

Roma may have included a promise to sell Kostas Manolas to Barcelona as part of their deal to sign Thomas Vermaelen.

The Belgian came to the Giallorossi on a remarkably advantageous deal, as his loan was free and the clause to buy the player is optional rather than compulsory.

According to the Gazzetta dello Sport, the catch may be that the deal includes a priority option for Barcelona on Manolas, should the club decide to sell him.

This may not be a problem for Roma, and in fact it may help them to solve the issue of the Greek's renewal.

Manolas expects a raise from his €1.8m salary, and the Lupi may be willing to push that up to €3m for one season only. This would be allowed with a view towards selling the 25-year-old to Barcelona next year at whatever price works best for the Italian club, without having their hand forced by an imminent contract expiry.

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