Wednesday Updates: Petrachi Released, Andressa Delayed, Pallotta Alternatives & More

As much as I'm loving the breakneck pace of the Serie A restart (two matches per week is amazing) it can make it tough to catch up on all the off the pitch action. With silly season just around the corner, further unrest in Roma's front office and the possible sale of the club, there is no shortage of off the field news in the Romaverse.

With Roma and Verona kicking off later today, let's take a quick look at the day's news.

Gianluca Petrachi Released

Given the pace of the fixture list and Roma's dramatic swings of fortune over the past two weeks—the three match losing streak, the change in formation and now two straight wins—this monumental story sort of fell by the wayside over the past week or so. With his relationship with club President James Pallotta completely devolved, Petrachi was suspended from his duties as Roma's Director of Sport on June 18th, ostensibly replaced by some amalgamation of Morgan De Sanctis, Guido Fienga and Franco Baldini.

While he was effectively gelded by the club, Petrachi's Roma future remained somewhat cloudy, at least in the legal sense. With Roma reportedly insisting upon a severance package, Petrachi is likely to pursue litigation to seek out the balance of his contract/salary, believed to be in the neighborhood of €2.4 million. According to Il Tempo, with the two sides unable to reach an agreement, the club has sent (or soon will) Petrachi an official separation letter.

This is a mess all the way around, so hopefully they can sew this up without impacting any on-pitch developments.

Andressa's Return to Roma Delayed

It's hard to believe, but Roma started their 2020-2021 pre-season training last week. While the club welcomed back nearly it's entire nominal starting eleven, there was one notable absence: Brazilian play-maker Andressa Alves. While we initially feared she was holding out to sign with another club, it turns out her delayed return to the capital was due to her wedding held late last week.

It was likely a hectic week for Andressa—get married, have a mini honeymoon and then move back to Europe—but that last bit will likely be delayed. With Andressa unable to catch a flight from Brazil to Italy, she will likely have to fly somewhere other than Italy, quarantine and then join her teammates in Rome.

Quite a pain in the ass, but you can't take any chances or make any presumptions during this pandemic, especially not when you're dealing with international travel.

Pallotta Weighing Sale Options

According to Il Romanista, James Pallotta is weighing three different options to sell the club: 1) accept Dan Friedkin's most recent offer, 2) negotiate with the mysterious South American group (the ones that will bring Edinson Cavani) or 3) entertain an offer from a Kuwaiti group.

Of those three options, the Friedkin route offers the path of least resistance simply because they've done all the leg work in terms of analyzing the financial records and doing the legal due diligence.

No matter which route he selects, we have to hope it's a quick and painless transaction; Roma's 2020-2021 fates may rest in his hands.

Pellegrini Renewal in the Works

With Lorenzo Pellegrini's €30 million release clause expiring at the end of the month, Roma are reportedly working on a new deal for their capitano futuro, one that would not only increase his rate of pay but tie him to his boyhood club through 2024. No figures have been floated around yet, but one would imagine he'll make at least €3 million—the club's new de facto salary cap.

If this comes to pass, it will be a strong sign of faith in Pellegrini, who will be counted upon to lead the club into it's next developmental phase.

That's it for now—see you at kickoff!