Official: Roma Signs Renato Sanches

While it pales in comparison to the club's early summer pursuits of Davide Frattesi and Gianluca Scamacca or their current Marcos Leonardo quagmire, Roma did spend an awful lot of time chasing Renato Sanches this summer. From the seeds of the rumor late in the spring to the clubs making contact to Sanches agreeing to personal terms to PSG balking at a dry loan to all the back and forth we endured this summer, Roma's pursuit of the 25-year-old midfielder did test our patience.

But the moment has finally arrived. Roma has officially signed Renato Sanches on loan from PSG. While the terms of the deal weren't made official, the club announced they have signed Sanches on loan with an obligation to buy if “certain conditions are met.” Those conditions are widely believed to be Sanches appearing in 60% of the Giallorossi's matches, no small feat given his injury history.

However, this is a moment to celebrate rather than worry.

“I’m so happy to have joined this huge club,” stated Renato. “The Roma project really won me over and I feel that playing here is the right choice for me.

“It’s so important for any player to feel the support of the fans. For me on my first day, the impact that I felt helped me understand how much these supporters love the team and that can only drive me forward to give my all to achieve success here.”

On his new midfielder, GM Tiago Pinto spoke about their dogged pursuit of the Portuguese midfielder:

“Renato Sanches is a player that we’ve been following for a long time,” admitted Tiago Pinto, Roma’s General Manager, Football. “Despite that, he’s still a young player and he’s developed the habit of achieving success in every competition, both at club and international level.

“Renato has the technical and physical qualities that should see him slot seamlessly into our midfield, making it even more competitive.”