The holiday season is in full swing, and while Serie A may be pausing for a few days, the transfer rumor mill is raging on unabated. Although a few new names have been added to the mix, the Italian press continues to focus on Roma’s pursuit of Manchester United forward Joshua Zirkzee and Atletico Madrid midfielder Giacomo Raspadori.
While they bring different traits to the table, Zirkzee and Raspadori have followed similar career arcs, parlaying success in Italy into megamillion moves to larger European
clubs. However, with only 586 combined league minutes between them, life outside of Italy hasn’t been kind to these former Serie A standouts.
Fortunately, there may be hope on the horizon for these two talented attackers in the form of a curmudgeonly calcio genius. According to multiple sources in Italy, Gian Piero Gasperini has identified Zirkzee and Raspadori as the ideal salves for his wounded attack.
Recent reports from Italy indicate that Roma will acquire both players on loan with options to buy (€40M for Zirkzee, €18M for Raspadori) that become obligations if certain objectives are met, including the club qualifying for the Champions League next season. This would represent a significant investment for the club and may require the corresponding sales or loan cancellations of players like Evan Ferguson, Leon Bailey, and Artem Dovbyk.
This is all speculation, of course, but the depth and breadth of these rumors suggest that Roma and Gasperini have clearly established priorities for the January transfer market. All that remains is to push the deals over the finish line, which is no easy feat with this many moving pieces.
