Roma should make Scotland star Lewis Ferguson their top January target, according to a former player.
Three time Coppa Italia winner Giampiero Maini is a huge fan of the former Aberdeen and Hamilton Accies man, who now captains Bologna, and believes that he should be at the top of veteran boss Claudio Ranieri’s shopping list this month. 25-year-old Ferguson only signed a new deal with Bologna until the summer of 2028 in November, and enjoyed an glittering campaign last season, scoring six times and providing five assists as Bologna qualified for the Champions League for the first time – before a serious knee ended his season early and denied him the chance to play for Scotland at Euro 2024.
His showings also earned him the Bulgarelli Number 8 Award for Serie A’s best midfielder, and he has been regularly linked with a move to big guns Juventus – now led by former Bologna boss Thiago Motta. However Maini, a former Bologna and Roma player, hopes to see him brought to the Italian capital this month. He told Radio Mana Mana Sport Roma : “In the winter market I would immediately go and get Ferguson from Bologna.
“He has a strong personality, the ability to recover the ball and an offensive propensity that makes him dangerous even when he gets into the game. We cannot let a player like him slip away.” He did accept that Roma could be priced out of any move, with a price tag of around €20m likely to be placed on Ferguson’s head by the Emilia-Romagna side.
Since returning from injury against Lecce in November, Ferguson has played seven times for Bologna – four of which have been starts. On his return the former Aberdeen ace said: “The roar when I came on and returned to the pitch gave me Goosebumps. What a thrill it was for me. Our fans are fantastic and the warmth and reception I received really moved me. It was very emotional to me and it felt great to be back, especially in front of our supporters. I want to thank them all. But the most important thing was we got the victory.”