A deal is close, but Atlético, which doesn’t want to lose out after signing him from Napoli this summer, wants a conditional buyback clause

The goal is to have him in Trigoria immediately, possibly as early as next week, especially since he’s needed even more today than yesterday. Ricky Massara is working on this to try to bring Giacomo Raspadori to the Giallorossi and give Gian Piero Gasperini his first reinforcement of this winter transfer window. Something significant could happen as early as today, with the player expected to have a personal meeting with Diego Simeone, the Atletico Madrid coach, for a private discussion.

Roma aims to sign Raspadori on a paid loan with a conditional buyout option, for a total deal worth €20 million (€2 million for the loan, plus €18 million for the potential buyout). However, an agreement must now be reached with Atlético Madrid, which essentially requires overcoming two obstacles: the final price and the deal structure. The Spanish club, in fact, purchased Raspadori from Napoli for 22 million euros (plus 4 million in potential bonuses) and would like to recoup that investment. In short, for Atlético, if Roma truly wants Raspadori, they must raise their offer. And they’ll also need to change the deal structure accordingly, because Madrid prefers an obligation to a buyout option. Or, at the very least, a conditional option that offers a significant probability the deal will ultimately go through. So not a Champions League qualification spot, to be clear, but rather a percentage of games played, with a threshold that could be around 60-65%. In the coming days, the focus will be primarily on this: how to potentially reach an agreement for the player’s transfer to Roma.

IN MADRID—  Today, however, Atlético will return to training, and before taking the field, Raspadori will have a meeting with Diego Simeone himself, who had pushed to sign him last summer. Some time ago, the coach was already clear with Raspadori during another private conversation. “So far, I haven’t been able to give you what you deserved,” the Argentine coach told the Italian national team forward. So far, in these six months with the Colchoneros, he has barely seen any playing time: 14 appearances out of 25 matches, totaling 406 minutes—an average of 29 minutes per game whenever he was called upon. Far too little to be happy, with Raspadori often forced to watch Antoine Griezmann (25 matches and 1,018 minutes) and Thiago Almada (15 matches and 571 minutes) play. Today, Jack will ask Simeone to let him go, though it remains to be seen what stance the Atlético coach will take.
IN ROME—  In Trigoria, therefore, they hope to have the player available as early as next week. It’s almost impossible for the Atalanta match (scheduled for January 3 in Bergamo), and perhaps difficult even for the away game in Lecce (scheduled for the 6th). But the desire and hope is to be able to field him as early as the 10th, in a match that would also be particularly meaningful for Raspadori, as it would mean making his debut with his new team against Sassuolo, the club that nurtured him and launched his career in top-flight soccer. Raspadori’s arrival, incidentally, is even more urgent now that Lorenzo Pellegrini has also been injured (out for a month, the Roman attacking midfielder risks missing 8–9 matches) and Gasperini has few options available in that role. Raspadori, on the other hand, would bring unpredictability, quality, and creativity—all characteristics the Roma coach looks for in players who play behind the center forward. Massara hopes to make him happy soon, though much will depend on