Roma Bid €38M but Shick Unconvinced of Move

By now you’ve no doubt heard that Roma lodged a massive bid for Sampdoria striker Patrik Schick, the man who was nearly a Juventus player several weeks ago. Schick, 21-years-old, is the subject of intense four-way battle between Inter Milan, Juventus, PSG and Roma, the latter of whom have submitted a €38 million bid.

Sampdoria has accepted, or is at least willing to accept, Roma’s massive bid, but Shick remains unconvinced of life in Roma, seemingly dead set on moving to Luciano Spalletti’s newly remodeled Inter side. It’s a somewhat ironic twist from the summer’s great transfer melodrama, in which Riyad Mahrez was willing to move to Roma, but Leicester City refused to sell. So in essence, Roma is damned if they do damned if they don’t.

Now, what exactly it will take to convince Shick is anyone’s guess. Sure, Spalletti has a way of making the most out of his strikers, but Shick’s path to glory in Inter is blocked in totality by one Mauro Icardi, who is only three-years older than Schick. In Roma, he’d only have to bide his time until Edin Dzeko’s contract expires, and given how hot and cold Dzeko can be, not to mention the fact that Schick can play out wide in a pinch, playing time wouldn’t exactly be scarce.

The hangup, as far as Sampdoria is concerned, is the precise method of payment. Inter’s bid has sort of fallen by the wayside because they can reportedly only muster a loan with an option to buy, while Roma is willing to make it a straight sale via a two-year loan with a mandatory purchase clause.

However, with the financial might of Juventus and PSG lurking, both Roma and Inter may wind up on the outside looking in. So, kudos to Roma for stepping up to the big boy table, but once again I feel compelled to point out the fact that they attempted to nickle and dime Leicester for their supposed top target, yet go all in instantaneously for secondary targets.

Roma is desperate for an additional attacker, and the entire football world knows it. Monchi and EDF have effectively painted themselves into a corner, and with less than two weeks remaining, it’s going to be an expensive exit.