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{Updated at the bottom} With Roma handing out a spate of new contracts to several of their top young prospects last month, the club's new ownership seemed to be putting a premium on retaining promising Primavera talents. Tommaso Milanese, Ruben Providence, Nicola Zalewski, and Riccardo Ciervo were among the names Roma penned to new deals over the past six weeks, with many of them committing their futures to the capital through 2024.
But there was one notable name missing from splurge: Riccardo Calafiori. As the only one of that young group to break training camp with the senior team to start the season, Calafiori, if not the most talented of that group, was undoubtedly the closest to contributing to Paulo Fonseca's side.
Calafiori's rise to the top was waylaid by a bout with COVID-19 earlier this fall, but with a pair of impressive performances against CFR Cluj and BSC Young Boys in the Europa League, including a stupendous goal against the latter, he soon reminded us all why he's such a highly regarded prospect.
However, with only one year remaining on this deal after this season, folks around Roma soon began to fret about the future of the club's next great Roman star. Doubly so when you consider he's represented by none other than super-agent Mino Raiola, with whom negotiations are seldom easy.
With the two sides hashing out a new deal over the past several weeks, fears of a financial impasse soon arose, with Raiola reportedly demanding €1.2 million against Roma's €500,000 offer. But, according to multiple reports springing out this morning, those fears may have been unfounded.
Proprio in questi minuti Riccardo #Calafiori sta firmando a Trigoria il rinnovo di contratto con l'#ASRoma, che già ad inizio dicembre aveva trovato l'accordo con Mino Raiola. Si attende ora soltanto l'annuncio ufficiale@tempoweb @Teleradiostereo pic.twitter.com/RTD1ultCp8
— Filippo Biafora (@Fil_Biafora) December 15, 2020
Nearly every Roma outlet has picked up on this story by now, but according to these reports, Calafiori is set to sign a new contract that will bind him to Roma through 2023 with an option for two further years. While the exact figures differ between sources, Calafiori is expected to make €800,000 per year (gross) over the life of this deal, though one would imagine those two option years come with potential raises, particularly if his career develops as we all hope.
Roma's Primavera setup has always been a point of pride for the club and fans alike, and with kids like Calafiori and Milanese getting legitimate minutes already, they may finally buck the trend of academy graduates struggling to make their mark.
Calafiori has the size, skill, and panache to be a top full-back and this renewal could be the first of many with his hometown club.
Update:
The club officially announced they have signed Calafiori to a new deal through 2025; financial terms were not disclosed.
On his new deal, Calafiori was understandably excited:
I am incredibly happy...This is an important step for me - this has been my dream ever since I was a child.
It means so much – I think it would mean a lot for any kid who came through the academy here, dreaming of one day making it to the first team. Now it seems like I’ve done that, and perhaps it still has not really sunk in.
There is no a [sic] better feeling in the world