Over the past few weeks, it’s been speculated that either Matías Soulé or Manu Koné would be sold by the end of the month to raise the necessary funds to meet the club’s Financial Fair Play guidelines. With the June 30th FFP deadline now just days away, it appears the most likely big sale will be Matías Soulé. Soulé could fetch as much as €40 million, as offers from two Saudi clubs are on the table for the Argentine. The potential sale would bring in much-needed funds for Roma.
With Koné linked to
both Chelsea and Arsenal, it appeared that Premier League money might win the day. Even so, the Giallorossi were said to be hesitant to sell Koné before the deadline, instead waiting until July to negotiate with various clubs if Koné decides he’d like to go. That appears to be the more likely scenario now that Chelsea has reportedly made an offer to Sunderland for Granit Xhaka, and the Arsenal links are cooling as well, with the Gunners looking at Bruno Guimarães and Morten Hjulmand.
It’s reported that l’Ah-Ahli, which paid €30 million for former Roma defender Roger Ibañez, and l’Al-Ittihad are the two most interested Saudi clubs. A sale to either would bring in close to €20 million in plusvalenza. That money would be key not only to meeting FFP obligations by June 30th but also to allowing Roma to put together a package for Mason Greenwood.
Roma is expected to make a €40 million-plus offer to Marseille, plus bonuses, after June 30th. According to ForzaRoma.info, Gian Piero Gasperini held a crucial meeting with Greenwood in early June to convince him of his place in Roma’s Champions League-caliber side.
In addition to the sale of Soulé, the sales of Alessandro Romano to Cagliari for a total package of €6.5 million and Anass Salah-Eddine to PSV for €8 million would help satisfy FFP and allow Roma to pursue Greenwood after June 30th.
