Roma Continue to Work on Palmeiras Left-Back Matias Viña

Leonardo Spinazzola may be a Mourinho dream come true at left-back, but those pleasant thoughts soon became a nightmare when the 28-year-old Italian international ruptured the Achilles tendon in his left leg during Italy's Euro 2020 Quarterfinal victory over Belgium. With Spinazzola ruled out for at least the next six months, Roma GM Tiago Pinto has been scrambling ever since to find a suitable replacement for his star left-back.

While the rumor mill initially linked the Giallorossi to one of their former players, Chelsea's Emerson Palmieri, as we wind our way through July, the focus has shifted to a lesser-known but perhaps more intriguing name: Matias Viña, a 23-year-old Uruguayan left-back who has spent the past two seasons with Palmeiras in the Brazilian Serie A.

Valued at €15 million by Palmeiras, Roma's first bid, a rumored €10 million upfront with an additional €2.5 million in potential bonuses, was reportedly rejected by Palmeiras. However, Roma is busy prepping a newer, slightly more lucrative deal for Viña. According to Sky Sports’ Gianluca Di Marzio, Roma has upped the ante to €13 million upfront while also including additional bonuses in the deal.

While that initial €5 million difference of opinion may not seem like much, Palmeiras owes 50% of any Viña sale to his prior club, Nacional, per the terms of their January 2020 transfer agreement.

Viña, a 5’9” left-back from Empalme Olmos on Uruguay's southern coast, has pumped in nine goals and eight assists over his past 73 appearances in all competitions for Nacional and Palmeiras.

Despite the five million difference in valuation between the two clubs, Sky is optimistic that the deal will come together over the next week, if not sooner.