Roma supporters have seen this movie before: a talented young attacker arrives and he flashes enough brilliance to convince everyone that he might be part of the club’s future. But then comes the haunting pressure of Financial Fair Play; the young star suddenly becomes expendable. A transfer fee gets booked before the end of June, and fans grumble but acknowledge it as necessary to create sustainability. Then, the search for the next great attacking prospect begins all over again.
Whether Matías Soulé
ultimately joins the long list of players Roma supporters wish they could have enjoyed for a few more years remains to be seen. But if the latest reports are accurate, the Argentine winger may now be the leading candidate to leave the club before the transfer window truly kicks into gear. According to Il Tempo, Soulé is currently considered the most likely Roma player to be sold this summer. Signed from Juventus for just under €30 million two years ago, Roma reportedly value him at roughly €40 million today, and if they sell him for that value, it would create a significant capital gain while simultaneously providing funds for Gian Piero Gasperini’s summer rebuild.
From an accounting perspective, it’s easy to understand the appeal of selling Soulé at this moment. From a football perspective, it’s much harder. In my book, the most frustrating thing about Soulé’s situation is that he has done almost everything Roma could reasonably have asked of him. When the Giallorossi signed him following his breakout campaign with Frosinone, the expectation was never that he would become a finished product overnight. Young attacking players rarely develop in a straight line, particularly in Rome, where patience is often treated as a luxury rather than a necessity.
Yet Soulé arguably did grow in a straight line, with his first season regularly starting for a big club featuring moments of brilliance mixed with the occasional inconsistency that accompanies any 20-something attacker learning how to shoulder greater responsibility. By the end of that season, Soulé had become one of Roma’s most dangerous creative players, finishing with five goals and five assists in Serie A while gradually earning greater trust from Claudio Ranieri.
Then came the 2025-2026 season, in which, despite injuries disrupting parts of the campaign, Soulé still managed to finish with double-digit goal contributions while producing several of Roma’s most memorable moments. Recent statistical comparisons among Serie A attackers under the age of 23 showed Soulé ranking near the top of the league in progressive carries, successful take-ons, and chance creation. In other words, he isn’t merely collecting goals and assists; he’s consistently advancing the ball into dangerous areas and creating opportunities for teammates. Those are exactly the types of skills clubs pay a premium for among younger players, as they tend to improve with experience.
That’s what makes the current rumors so difficult to stomach: it feels like Roma are considering selling a player who appears to be one step away from figuring everything out. The situation becomes even more complicated when considering the latest reporting surrounding Gasperini. According to journalist Eleonora Trotta, there were tensions this season regarding Soulé’s injury management and availability, leading to frustrations on Gasperini’s side. If those reports are accurate, they may help explain why the manager is reportedly open to a sale should it become necessary to unlock funds for attacking reinforcements.
At the same time, interest appears genuine. Francesco Balzani recently reported that Soulé’s agent, Martín Ariel Guastadisegno, was at Trigoria to discuss the player’s future. Aston Villa have reportedly made preliminary inquiries, while Borussia Dortmund are said to be monitoring the situation as well. No formal offer has arrived yet, but the market clearly exists. Because Soulé is young enough to command a premium, productive enough to generate serious interest, and valuable enough to help balance the books, the writing does seem to be on the wall that he could be a perfect sacrificial lamb—especially if it means keeping the likes on Manu Koné and Evan Ndicka.
But that same logic means he’s also exactly the sort of player Roma should be trying to keep. This is already shaping up to be a summer of considerable change in attack. Longtime stalwart Stephan El Shaarawy is gone from the club, and Paulo Dybala cannot be expected to carry the same workload even next season. Donyell Malen is sure to remain one of the cornerstones of Gasperini’s project, but Roma are still expected to add at least one major attacking reinforcement before the window closes. Moving on from Soulé would arguably give Roma another complete overhaul in the attack, which recent history suggests is not conducive to true success. Remember the year Roma brought in Lukaku and Belotti?
In my book, Gasperini should seek the middle ground here. Keep Malen. Keep Soulé. Add a younger and potentially more affordable option like Kerim Alajbegović rather than completely overhauling the attacking unit yet again. Allow some continuity to exist for once. For all the frustrations supporters experienced this season, Roma’s attack eventually found solutions. Malen transformed the team’s ceiling, Soulé continued to mature, and Dybala remained dangerous whenever healthy. The foundation isn’t perfect, but it exists.
Revolutions are exciting, but they don’t always end up giving the people a better situation than the one they had before. Indeed, Roma have spent years searching for attacking stability. Selling one of the youngest, most talented, and most productive pieces of that foundation might solve a June problem, but with that comes the danger that such a move would only create a September problem.
