Roma hope to sign Barcelona defender Thomas Vermaelen soon, but face difficulties with contract negotiations.
There have been weeks of rumours connecting both parties but now the Giallorossi have made an official step towards bringing the 30-year-old Belgian international to the Stadio Olimpico.
According to pianetamilan.it, however, they face a challenge convincing Barcelona with an offer of a loan with the possibility of purchasing him outright, as the Blaugrana will only sell him for €11 million with the certainty that the Italians are obliged to keep him.
Milan had previously been looking at the option of signing Vermaelen, but their restricted funds for the summer transfer window and the ongoing Chinese takeover blurred their vision on the transfer.
Vermaelen joined Barcelona in 2014 and has since appeared just 21 times in all competitions.
