After weeks of toiling away on the transfer market with nothing to show for their efforts, Roma is on the verge of completing a double-barrel deal with Bologna. Rather than going whole hog on a flashy winger, the Giallorossi decided to take a more sensible route, spending “only” €35 million to acquire Bologna forward Santiago Castro.
Whether he operates alongside Donyell Malen in attack or serves as the Dutchman’s backup, we’re still talking about one of the most expensive transfers in club history.
So, even though this won’t be a headline-grabbing sixty-million move, Castro is a significant investment for Roma.
We’ll save the tactical takedown for a later date, but there is another layer to this deal.
According to multiple sources in Italy, including Mr. Here We Go himself, Fabrizio Romano, Dovbyk will join the Rossoblu on a season-long loan. While the deal is not yet official, nor do we know how much of his salary Roma will cover, the move offers the hulking Ukrainian forward a new opportunity to prove himself in Serie A.
Dovbyk, 29, joined the Giallorossi in August 2024 for €41 million from Girona. After leading La Liga in scoring in the 2023-2024 season, Dovbyk arrived in the Italian capital with outsized expectations. However, a combination of injuries and multiple managerial changes left him struggling to gain traction in Rome.
Still, with 20 goals in 63 appearances, Dovbyk wasn’t that bad; he just failed to meet the expectations that come with being a €41 million transfer, the second most expensive in club history.
