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Spalletti confirms Roma interest in West Ham's Sofiane Feghouli

Roma have agreed terms with Sofiane Feghouli about a transfer, and the Serie A side are now in negotiations with West Ham United about a fee, according to reports in Italy.

Feghouli, 27, joined West Ham on a free transfer from Valencia in the summer, but is set to move on after making only nine Premier League appearance.

Il Messaggero reports that personal terms have been agreed and Roma hope to agree a price of €8 million with the Hammers.

Roma coach Luciano Spalletti confirmed his club's interest, saying: "We are keeping a close eye on the market and the names you have mentioned so far are correct.

"The focus is shifting towards Feghouli, that is true. You're writing it anyway, so there's no point disguising the fact. The other options have cooled rather.

"He is someone who will come to replace [Juan Manuel] Iturbe, as Torino have really reinforced their squad with him.

"The truth is that these players know I trust them, that the club trusts them, so they need to play to their strengths. So far we've done well to cover the gaps, but playing every two to three days we're going to need to bolster our numbers a bit."

Title rivals Juventus and Napoli have both strengthened already in the January window with the signings of Tomas Rincon and Leonardo Pavoletti, and Spalletti said it was imperative to maintain pace with them.

"It's true that we liked Rincon as well," he said. "Juve and Napoli got stronger, we are already strong too, so we have to prove ourselves on the pitch in the frenetic run of matches coming up.

"Clearly when you play often, it becomes an extra strength to have more options you can choose from."

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