Monchi Claims No Offers for Alisson Have Arrived

By now you’re probably sick of reading about rumors of Alisson’s exit, hell I’m sick of writing them, so you can only imagine how Monchi, the man who will make the ultimate decision in this matter, feels about the incessant onslaught of transfer rumors for the club’s 26-year-old goalkeeping ace. However, as we’ve discussed many times throughout the years, rumors like these are a natural byproduct of Roma’s standing in the game; they’re neither predator nor prey, but occupy a unique spot in the food web wherein they can eat all the lichen they want, and maybe even a few stray varmints, but when it comes to the apex predators, they’re no match.

Following this metaphor, Alisson isn’t exactly a new born calf, he’s got some keen survival instincts but his horns aren’t fully formed, so Roma still has to watch over him. The problem is simply that Roma has too many offspring to care for and might have to sacrifice Alisson for the greater good, one less mouth to feed and all.

The predator in this instance is Real Madrid, who are reportedly lining up a €60 million offer for Roma’s prized cow, forcing Monchi to confront the beast head on:

There are many rumours about it every day, but no offers have arrived...He’s the starter for the Brazilian national team, he’s made huge progress this season and he’s contributed to the growth of the team.

Just look at the 10 clean sheets in the league and the decisive saves in the Champions League. He’s only 26, he still has room for improvement and he transmits an air of calm to the team. We’re very happy with his performance.

Have there been offers for him? None. There are many rumours about it every day, but no offers have arrived.

Seriously, can you imagine having to face that barrage of questions everyday? This is one instance in which I don’t envy Monchi, but the mere fact that these rumors persist is (again) testament to Roma’s standing in the game—they can hang onto Alisson for a bit, but the Reals and Liverpools of the world know that Roma has a breaking point; their resolve can only withstand so many euros.

These rumors have gotten so persistent that Genoa keeper and Journey cover band stand-in, Mattia Perin, has been brought into this mess as Alisson’s supposed replacement, nevermind the fact that Alisson’s current backup, Lukasz Skorupski, is a damn fine keeper in his own right, holding 10 clean-sheets last season.

While that debate is a matter for another day, the pace and persistence of these Alisson transfer rumors should scare the living daylights out of you. Combine Alisson’s own admission that these connections are flattering with Roma’s ongoing FFP issues (not to mention the fact that Real can and will pay literally any price to overcome the ignominy of finishing third in La Liga) and all this smoke may soon produce fire.