Report: Roma Offered Rodrigo De Paul

With Davide Frattesi no longer on the transfer market, Tiago Pinto is now tasked with finding a quality alternative to amplify Roma’s midfield rotation. While names like Daichi Kamada, Marcel Sabitzer, and others have swirled around the rumor mill alongside Frattesi’s, nothing concrete seems to have emerged. And until a new midfielder walks through the doors of Trigoria, expect plenty more players to be linked with the Giallorossi.

Today, a particularly intriguing player was connected to the Giallorossi for the first time this summer—a name very familiar to Roma and Serie A fans, Rodrigo De Paul.

According to Il Tempo via Forza Roma, De Paul, who could be on the way out at Atletico Madrid, has been offered to Roma. The now 29-year-old World Cup Champion has spent the last two seasons with the Spanish giants after making a €35 million move from Udinese in the summer of 2021. De Paul produced two goals and seven assists in a “reduced role” of just under 2,000 minutes for Diego Simeone’s side last season and could be looking for a more prominent role elsewhere.

Those numbers barely crack the surface of what De Paul is capable of in the center of the pitch. In the last calendar year, De Paul ranked in the 95th percentile in shot-creating actions, 96th in progressive passes, and 87th in progressive carries in Europe’s big five leagues, according to Football Reference. And believe it or not, his per 90 stats in those categories are all lower than they were in his last season with Udinese when he was an absolute menace to Serie A defenses en route to scoring nine goals and assisting nine more.

It’s no wonder that De Paul has Roma’s management salivating. However, cost could be a factor in any De Paul move. Under contract through 2026 and with a €40 million TransferMarkt valuation, De Paul won't come cheap, and Atletico prefers a permanent move rather than a loan.

So, as intriguing as this deal would be, the cost of an operation could make it prohibitive. However, if Pinto could find a way to swing this one, Romanisti could quickly forget a certain Roman midfielder who will be plying his trade at the San Siro for the foreseeable future.