Roma coach Ranieri says Hermoso's departure to Bayer Leverkusen is a done deal

Roma coach Claudio Ranieri confirmed on Wednesday the departure of Spaniard Mario Hermoso, who will sign on loan until the end of the season from Xabi Alonso's Bayer Leverkusen.

"When I arrived he was injured. Mario is a player I like very much and he wants to play. But I can't guarantee any of the team that he will play. I want happy players in Rome. And a player like him deserves to play," Ranieri told a press conference ahead of the Europa League clash with Eintracht Frankfurt.

Hermoso arrived in Rome as a free agent just five months ago, in September 2024, and suffered the instability of a team that has had three coaches so far this season: Daniele De Rossi, Ivan Juric and Claudio Ranieri.

He made 13 appearances for the Giallorossa and scored once, in the Europa League against Sporting Braga in a 3-0 win at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.

The 29-year-old Madrid centre-back will travel to Leverkusen on Wednesday, according to local media reports, to undergo a medical and sign his deal with the German club, who are second in the Bundesliga, six points behind Bayern Munich.

In the Champions League, Xabi Alonso's German side have qualified for the next round and could go straight through to the last 16 if they beat Sparta Prague.