As much fun as it is to dream about the acquisitions Roma will make to strengthen Gian Piero Gasperini’s squad ahead of the Giallorossi’s first Champions League appearance in nearly a decade, the sobering fact remains: Roma must sell first. Before Tony D’Amico can bring in shiny new toys for GPG in July—as we’ve seen too many times before—Roma must make sacrifices to the UEFA FFP gods. This year, the Giallorossi must generate a reported €50-€60 million in plusvalenza before June 30th.
Not many players
on Roma’s roster can bring in that amount on their own, but one who likely could is two-time reigning Serie A Goalkeeper of the Year Mile Svilar. And a sale of Svilar would be strictly profit on the books, since he was brought in on a free transfer by Tiago Pinto in the summer of 2022.
In his four years in the capital, Svilar has gone from a relatively unknown, cost-effective understudy to Rui Patricio to the league’s top goalkeeper (and arguably one of the best in Europe). Since taking over the starting job in early 2024, Svilar has kept 50 clean sheets in 130 appearances. His timely, often spectacular saves have earned the Giallorossi crucial points throughout the season, including a couple of huge saves on the last match day in Verona that kept the Giallorossi all square before the attack could breach the Verona goal.
His 107 saves and 18 league clean sheets were a major reason Roma conceded just 31 goals despite an xG of 41. It’s that kind of security that can’t be replaced easily or cheaply, which is why reports say Roma turned down an important offer in the €50 million range from Chelsea’s intermediaries in recent days.
The Giallorossi and their faithful remember what it was like in the post-Alisson years. After former owner James Pallotta promised the Brazilian wouldn’t be sold, Liverpool came calling with a record €73 million, and Roma’s ownership acquiesced. After that, the club endured Robin Olsen, Pau Lopez, and Patricio before Svilar emerged.
While a single sale of Svilar may have done the trick, he’s proven too valuable to GPG’s Roma. For that reason, it appears Svilar may be untouchable as the Giallorossi seek to satisfy UEFA’s financial requirements while doing the least damage to the squad. Stay tuned, as Chelsea could come back with a bigger offer to test Roma’s resolve.
