Don’t look now, but Roma may be on the verge of making an honest-to-goodness transfer. The kind where they give legal tender to another club to purchase an actual footballer—imagine that! Kidding aside, after a frustrating month spent chasing Mason Greenwood and Crysencio Summerville, failing in their attempt to find a new left winger, the club is pivoting slightly.
Rather than splashing the cash for a flashy wide player, Roma’s first coup of the summer may come up top. While it hasn’t generated nearly
as much buzz, the Giallorossi have been quietly pursuing a secondary option behind star striker Donyell Malen. Their initial target, Club Brugge’s number nine Nicolò Tresoldi, has proven too expensive for their taste, but Roma may have finally found their man.
As you can see, Alfredo Pedulla just dropped a mini-bombshell into the Romaverse, suggesting that Bologna has accepted a €35 million offer for forward Santiago Castro. A 21-year-old Argentine forward, Castro arrived at Bologna three years ago from Vélez Sarsfield. In three seasons with the Rossoblu, Castro has scored 22 goals and 11 assists in 105 matches across all competitions.
While he has seldom, if ever, played a wide role, Castro is fluid enough to play alongside Donyell Malen. This would require a subtle tactical shift from Gasperini, but Castro and Malen are both aggressive, comfortable off the ball, adept at changing positions, and attacking space.
This doesn’t mean Roma would abandon their search for a left-winger, but grabbing a player with Castro’s upside for “only” €35 million could be considered a steal in today’s market. This is a “he’s too good, get him now and sort it out later” scenario.
As we always say, stay tuned. We may have our first official awkward airport scarf photo as soon as next week!
