Matteo Moretto on Tuesday night reported that Atlético de Madrid are in active negotiations with AS Roma over the transfer of Giacomo Raspadori, with Serie A title chasers Roma having already lodged a first verbal offer for the Italy striker.
Raspadori’s future at Atlético has been under the microscope
for weeks. From the first week of December, reports in Italy have indicated that Raspadori wants to return to Serie A, and Atleti are willing to accommodate him. Moretto says the formula under discussion is a loan with an option to buy that would become an obligation “under certain conditions.”
Roma, fourth in Serie A but only three points behind leaders Inter Milan, are pushing ahead in talks as part of an effort to overhaul coach Gian Piero Gasperini’s attacking options for the second half of the season. The Giallorossi have shipped a mere 10 goals from 16 matches in the league, but they have scored just 17 themselves.
Raspadori joined Atlético less than five months ago in a €22 million transfer from reigning Italian champions Napoli. The 25-year-old made the move in a bid to get more playing time prior to the FIFA World Cup next summer, but Italy must win a play-off against Northern Ireland in March to qualify — and Raspadori has played only 217 minutes in LaLiga since he made the switch to Atleti.
Raspadori on Sunday picked up his first goal contribution in the Spanish league, when he played a quick pass to Antoine Griezmann ahead of the Frenchman’s second-half stoppage-time goal in Atlético’s 3-0 win at Girona. In midweek, he scored against Atlético Baleares in the Copa del Rey. But it has been a struggle for Raspadori to get the minutes he’s been after; he is competing against Griezmann, Julián Alvarez, Alexander Sørloth, and new signings Álex Baena and Thiago Almada for playing time in attack.
It feels like Raspadori’s transfer will be sorted out quickly once the winter transfer window opens in Spain on Jan. 2, and I bet that the stipulations to convert his loan into a permanent transfer will be fairly straightforward to achieve. It’s a bit of a shame; Raspadori has performed well in his limited minutes, and I think Diego Simeone could have expanded his role.
However, that’s easier said than done from where I stand, especially after Atlético started this season slowly and sit third in LaLiga, nine points behind FC Barcelona, at the winter break. You could argue that the club shouldn’t have signed Raspadori at all, given the “overbooking” that already existed in attack before he joined in August and Simeone’s reported preference for a dribbling winger who…still doesn’t play here.
