Inter Milan Lead the Race, but Roma Are Still In on Davide Frattesi

Much like Edin Dzeko and Paulo Dybala in summers past, West Ham striker Gianluca Scamacca has come to dominate the Roma transfer rumor mill. With the club desperately seeking a replacement for the injured Tammy Abraham, it's only logical that most of the early-summer rumors revolved around the striker position. In the past week alone, we've dedicated four stories to Scamacca's still-cloudy future, a figure that could have easily doubled if the CdT staff didn't have, you know, real jobs on the side.

Tiago Pinto may be prioritizing Scamacca, but another former Sassuolo player and Roma academy graduate, Davide Frattesi, is also a strong candidate for the team. Despite his impressive skills, his €35 million price tag may make him a challenging target for Roma this summer.

So challenging, in fact, that Inter Milan has reportedly jumped the queue for the 23-year-old midfielder. While they're not discrediting that notion, the Gazzetta dello Sport and calciomercato.com each report that the Giallorossi hasn't given up the dream of bringing Frattesi back home. According to both sources, to chip away at Sassuolo's asking price, Roma may include some combination of Cristian Volpato, Filippo Missori, and Edoardo Bove to land Frattesi.

And they're not alone in that line of thinking, as Calciomercato speculates that Inter Milan and Juventus are willing to include prized prospects to pry Frattesi loose from Sassuolo's grasp. However, they concede that Roma likely won't include Bove, who has become one of José Mourinho's most prized possessions.

No matter how these stories play out, Frattesi and Scamacca, as Romans and former academy players who play the exact two positions in which Roma needs the most help, figure to be fixtures in Roma's transfer coverage over the next several weeks.

The stories may continue ad nauseam, but bringing these two local kids back to the fold not only makes for a good narrative but it will make Roma stronger, deeper, and better equipped for their annual Champions League chase.