AS Roma and Atlético de Madrid are in advanced negotiations over Nahuel Molina, who is expected to leave Atlético this summer after four seasons in Spain.
Molina reportedly has been offered a four-year contract worth €2.7 million per season to return to Serie A, where he starred for Udinese before Atlético signed him in 2022. Following crunch talks on Wednesday, Roma and Atleti have reached a verbal agreement over a transfer worth roughly €19 million with bonuses included.
Molina is under contract to 2028 after Atlético exercised an extension clause in his contract last year. However, the Argentina right-back is expendable because Atleti need to raise funds to finance the arrival of a center-back; the club is targeting Cristian Romero, Molina’s national teammate, and will make an offer to sign him once Molina and Matteo Ruggeri leave the club.
Roma have decided to pursue Molina after Feyenoord rejected the Giallorossi’s approach for their right-back Givairo Read. Molina’s previous experience in Italy makes him an attractive option for Gian Piero Gasperini’s Roma, who will be playing Champions League football next season following a third-place finish in Serie A last year.
Per Marca, Atlético will not sign a direct replacement for Molina if he leaves. Diego Simeone can use World Cup winners Marcos Llorente and Marc Pubill at right-back, while Javi Boñar could stay in the first team following solid cameos in LaLiga last season.
Molina largely has been a substitute over the past two seasons, and he made only 13 starts in LaLiga during the 2025/26 campaign. The 28-year-old has endured a turbulent 181-game Atlético career; fans have routinely criticized him for his inconsistency and defensive inattention. Molina’s eye for goal from right-back/right wing-back often has been his best trait; he scored nine goals across those 181 appearances, including long-range strikes against Getafe and Real Madrid in the spring.
If everything proceeds as planned, Molina’s exit should be finalized in the coming days, before the player is due back at Atlético from his post-World Cup holiday on Aug. 10.
