Now that the signings of Santiago Castro and Konstantions Koulierakis (I spelled it without Googling!!) were made official last week, not to mention the impending departures of Angeliño and Marash Kumbulla, Roma’s transfer market has finally shifted into gear. While we’re painfully aware of the club’s long-standing vacancy at left wing, where Antonio Nusa remains a preferred but elusive target, Roma is making progress in their pursuit of a new wing-back to pair with Wesley França.
While Wesley is
ostensibly a right-wing back, the dynamic Brazilian spent large portions of last season playing on the left. It may not have been what they envisioned when they signed him from Flamengo, but Wesley’s versatility was a boon to Roma’s Champions League chances. Thanks to Wesley’s adaptability, Roma was able to weather the storm of injuries and illnesses that plagued their left wing-backs.
With Wesley capable of delivering quality performances on the left side of the pitch, Roma has decided to focus its efforts on the opposite side. Late last week, we outlined Roma’s pursuit of Feyenoord right-back Givario Read, a 20-year-old Dutch defender. According to Fabrizio Romano, with Read’s personal terms sorted, the Giallorossi were ready to submit a €25 million offer to their Eredivisie counterparts.
To no one’s surprise, that figure may have been a conservative estimate. While Read won’t fetch the €50 to €60 million figures we’ve been plagued with this summer, Roma may have to do a bit better than twenty-five million to land Read.
While their initial offer wasn’t far off, according to transfer experts Nicolo Schira and Alfredo Pedulla, Roma’s formal offer will approach €30 million, likely in the form of a €25 million base payment and an additional €2–3 million in bonuses. With only 3,400 top-flight minutes under his belt, Read is a little light on experience, so this reads (no pun intended) as a calculated gamble on a player who may blossom under Gasperini’s tutelage.
Stay tuned, this one could come together rather quickly.
