Agreement close, but Atletico, who don’t want to lose out after signing him from Napoli this summer, want a conditional right

The goal is to have him in Trigoria immediately, possibly as early as next week, because today there is even more need for him than yesterday. Ricky Massara is working on this, trying to bring Giacomo Raspadori to the Giallorossi and give Gian Piero Gasperini his first reinforcement of this winter transfer window. Something important could happen today, with the player expected to have a personal meeting with Diego Simeone, the Atletico Madrid coach, for a personal clarification.
Roma are aiming to sign Raspadori on a paid loan, with a conditional buy-back clause, for a total of €20 million (€2 million for the loan, plus €18 million for the buy-back clause). However, an agreement must now be reached with Atletico Madrid, which requires overcoming two major obstacles: the final price and the formula. The Spanish club bought Raspadori from Napoli for €22 million (plus €4 million in potential bonuses) and would like to recoup that investment. In short, if Roma really want Raspadori, they will have to raise their offer. They also want to change the formula, because they prefer an obligation to a right of redemption in Madrid. Or, at least, a conditional right, which gives a significant probability that the deal will ultimately go through. So, not a Champions League placement, to be clear, but much more directly a percentage of games played, with a threshold that could be around 60-65%. In the coming days, the main topic of discussion will be how to reach an agreement for the player’s transfer to the Giallorossi.

IN MADRID—  Today, however, Atletico will return to training and before taking to the field, Raspadori will have a meeting with Diego Simeone, who pushed to have him on the team in the summer. Some time ago, the coach was clear with Raspadori during another private meeting. “So far, I haven’t been able to give you what you deserve,” the Argentine coach told the Italian national team striker. So far, in these six months with the Colchoneros, he has really picked up the crumbs: 14 appearances in 25 games, with a total of 406 minutes, which means an average of 29 minutes per game every time he has been called upon. Too little to be happy with, with Raspadori often forced to watch Antoine Griezmann (25 games and 1,018 minutes) and Thiago Almada (15 games and 571 minutes) play. Today, Jack will ask Simeone to let him go, but it remains to be seen what the Atletico coach’s position will be. In Rome—In Trigoria, they hope to have the player available as early as next week. It is almost impossible for Atalanta (match scheduled in Bergamo on January 3), 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 significant for Raspadori, because it would mean making his debut with his new team against Sassuolo, the club that raised him and launched him into big-time soccer. Raspadori’s arrival is even more urgent now that Lorenzo Pellegrini is also injured (out for a month, the Roman attacking midfielder is likely to miss 8-9 games) and Gasperini has few options available in that role. Raspadori, on the other hand, would bring unpredictability, quality, and creativity, all characteristics that the Roma coach looks for in players who have to play behind the center forward. Massara hopes to satisfy him soon, although much will depend on…