Official: Roma and Javier Pastore Agree to Terminate Contract by Mutual Consent

Talk about a turn of events. When discussing Roma's remaining transfer ambitions for this summer, Tiago Pinto's pursuit of any last-minute additions was always prefaced with a “yeah, but” in relation to the rather burdensome contracts of players like Steven Nzonzi and Javier Pastore. While Roma and transfer targets like Teun Koopmeiners or Denis Zakaria seemed like matches made in heaven, Pinto's ability to close those deals was reportedly hampered by the outstanding financial commitments remaining on the Nzonzi and Pastore contracts, among others.

But, fret no more, my friends, Roma may have just found new room in the budget:

According to a just-issued press release, Roma and Javier Pastore have mutually agreed to terminate the remainder of his contract, which was set to expire on June 30, 2023. The club issued a brief statement on their official site, which reads:

The Argentina international joined the Giallorossi in the summer of 2018.

He made 37 appearances in all competitions for the side, scoring four goals.

Everyone at AS Roma would like to wish Javier the best of luck for the future.

Signed in the summer of 2018 for €24.7 million, Pastore never managed to recapture the form that led PSG to drop €42 million for his services in the summer of 2011. Beset by injuries throughout his entire three-year stay with the Giallorossi, the entirety of Pastore's career in a Roma shirt amounted to little more than three-dozen appearances.

While the terms of the buyout/termination weren't disclosed, Pastore was set to make €4.5 million (net) through the end of the 2022-2023 season, and even shaving a fraction off that bill should give Pinto a little more breathing room in the future.

On his day, Pastore remains a remarkably skilled player, but that El Flaco, the one who charmed Europe during his days with Palermo, was seldom seen in the City of Seven Hills.