Official: Roma Signs Leandro Paredes

While Roma was connected to PSG midfielder Leandro Paredes earlier this summer, a reunion with their former prodigy took on added urgency when Nemanja Matic up and left for Rennes in Ligue 1. Now 29, Paredes returns to the city where he cut his teeth in Europe, signing a two-year deal with the Giallorossi.

Originally signed in the winter of 2014 from Boca Juniors, Paredes made a brief stop in Chievo—literally making only one 16-minute appearance that spring—before debuting with Roma in the fall of 2014. A prototypical deep-lying midfielder, Paredes made 52 appearances for Roma, with a loan spell at Empoli in between before being sold to Zenit St. Petersburg for €23 million in the summer of 2017.

After a season-and-a-half in Russia, PSG dropped €40 million to acquire Pardes in the winter of 2019. While Lovely Leo bagged more than his fair share of trophies for the Parisiens, he was a rotation player, never garnering more than 16 league starts in any of his four-and-a-half seasons in Paris.

While Paredes made his return to Serie A last winter while on loan with Juventus, this is his true homecoming, a point he spoke to earlier today:

“Coming back to Rome is always a special thing, but doing so now as a Roma player is even more special,” revealed Paredes. “I’d like to thank the fans for welcoming me and Roma for bringing me back to the club where I launched my career in Europe. Last year was an incredibly happy one for me with the World Cup, so now I want to keep tasting success and I’m convinced I can do just that with this team.”

No terms of the deal were disclosed, but it is widely rumored that Roma will pay €2.5 million plus bonuses for Paredes, who signed a two-year deal with an option for a third. PSG will also retain a reported 30% sell-on clause, but at his age, that's a minor concern.

Paredes won't do much to shield the defense as Roma's deep-lying midfielder, but his passing and distribution should play well in Mourinho's midfield, particularly if Bryan Cristante is pressed into service as a center-back again.

Welcome back, Leo!