Are Roma Pivoting to €25 Million-Rated Rodrigo Riquelme?

There was a time not long ago when Roma collected pacy wingers like kids in the early ‘90s collected Pogs, or yours truly collects sneakers. From Gervinho to Mohamed Salah to Stephan El Shaarawy to Iago Falque to Victor Ibarbo to Adem Ljajic, Roma spent most of the late 2000s and 2010s snapping up more wingers than they knew what to do with. It didn't always make for the most balanced squad, but few clubs could match the Giallorossi's pace and precision on the flanks.

Of course, once José Mourinho and his defensively-postured tactics came to town, the need for crafty wingers fell by the wayside, but with a Luciano Spalletti acolyte in the form of Daniele De Rossi on the touchline, Roma suddenly finds itself in need of some extra juice on the wings. While the club's top choice remains wantaway Juve winger Federico Chiesa, the Italian international's star is on the rise thanks to an impressive debut at Euro 2024, so he may soon price himself out of Roma's range.

As a result, the Corriere dello Sport has linked Roma to Atletico Madrid winger Rodrigo Riquelme. A 24-year-old winger from the Spanish capital, Riquelme bagged three goals and five assists in little more than 1,500 league minutes last season. Valued at €25 million by Transfermarkt, Riquelme isn't exactly a bargain, but he would be prohibitively more affordable than Chiesa, whose value could exceed €40 million if he finishes the Euros on a high note.

Further facilitating this fictional move, the CdS reports that Atletico would be amenable to collecting that €25 million through a series of bonuses and possibly even a re-sale percentage. While negotiations like that are seldom cut and dry, Roma needs to find savings wherever possible, so Riquelme could be the choice by default.

However, that doesn't mean we should dismiss him out of hand. While he's not an über prospect on the order of Arda Güler, he's shown steady improvement since debuting in the top flight with Girona in 2022 and brings enough pace, creativity, and athleticism to give De Rossi's attack the jolt it may need next season.