Roma, Spurs Among Several Clubs Vying for Cristante

Whether we’re talking about Hakim Ziyech, Ante Coric or even Franco Vazquez, the theme or Roma’s incredibly early summer transfer rumor cycle has been the pursuit of an attacking midfielder, and a multifaceted one at that. While Roma has a solid enough midfield, cluttered with bruising yet talented players, they’re still lacking someone to balance that strength with a bit of improvisation.

While Bryan Cristante isn’t a new name to the list of potential Roma purchases, he’s been appearing in the rumor mill with greater frequency recently. Last week the Corriere dello Sport reportedly caught wind of a €35 million offer being lined up for the Atalanta midfielder, one that would represent a €31 million profit for the Goddesses. However, as is so often the case with transfer rumors, they seldom move from A to Z without going on a bit of a walkabout.

A quick Google reveals a laundry list of suitors for the 23-year-old attacking talent on the rise, including Juventus, Inter Milan, Roma and now Tottenham. Seeing how it's only March and Cristante has already racked up 11 goals in all competitions, don’t be surprised if that list doubles or triples in size before June.

So while Roma’s reported offer exceeds Atalanta’s rumored price tag by some €10 million, you know what happens when those Premier League teams get involved. Also, can we take a quick second and appreciate all the talent that Atalanta has cobbled together over the past few years—Cristante, Papu Gomez, Roberto Gagliardini, Mattia Caldara, Andrea Petagna. Pretty impressive stuff, and if football operated under a salary cap, Atalanta would be a forced to be reckoned with for years to come.

Cristante has a chance to be the best of that lot, and with his age, versatility and production, he might be Roma’s best bet and injecting some offensive inspiration into their midfield.