With Santiago Castro already joining his new teammates at Trigoria and the club’s second signing, Konstantinos Koulierakis, waiting in the wings, the club has been free to focus on its desperate pursuit of RB Leipzig’s Antonio Nusa. The €60 million Norwegian winger is reportedly keen to join the Giallorossi, but given the €15 million gap in negotiations, Nusa may have to dig in his heels to make this dream a reality.
If that all sounds familiar, it should: we’ve seen the same scenario unfold over
the past few years with everyone from Riyad Mahrez to Jadon Sancho. I’d like to say this time might be different, but Leipzig aren’t likely to leave €15 million on the table.
In the absence of any Nusa news, the rumor mill has sprouted an interesting branch over the past few weeks, connecting Roma to some intriguing U-21 talents, including Real Madrid forward Endrick. He may not have the tactical versatility of many of the names we’ve covered this summer, but the 20-year-old Brazilian forward could unlock a host of possibilities for Gian Piero Gasperini this season.
So enamored are the Giallorossi with Endrick that they’ve even started sniffing around another Real Madrid youngster, Franco Mastantuono. The 18-year-old Argentine is coveted by teams across Europe, but Real aren’t likely to part with him on a permanent basis; a wrinkle that has thus far dissuaded Roma from engaging in transfer talks.
Rather than focusing on two of Los Blancos’ finest youngsters, today we’ll turn our attention to a new teenage sensation, Torino midfielder/winger/wing-back Alessio Cacciamani. The 19-year-old Ancona native has zero top-flight experience but saw significant minutes with Juve Stabia in Serie B last season, logging more than 2,000 minutes across 33 appearances.
Despite that inexperience, Roma are hot on his trail. According to Tuttosport, Roma’s initial €10 million bid was rejected outright by Torino, who reportedly won’t pick up the phone for anything less than €15 million. That’s a hefty fee for a player with so little experience, but it speaks to more than just Torino’s appreciation for Cacciamani’s talents. It shows that Roma is digging deep into its scouting bag to find raw, unfinished players with specific traits that Gasperini can easily exploit and cultivate—in this case, acceleration, straight-line speed and agility.
So, if you’re looking for a long-term complement to Wesley at the wing-back position with the tools to thrive under Gasperini, look no further.
