Roma get another Argentinian player

Paulo Dybala signed a contract extension with Roma two weeks ago, committing himself to the club until 2027 while accepting a significant pay cut. He lowered his salary demands from an eight million euros per season to around three million. Then there is Matías Soule, and not too long ago Roma fans would erupt into applause whenever Leandro Paredes threw himself into impossible challenges, even crashing into the advertising boards. Before them came Javier Pastore, Diego Perotti, Gabriel Heinze, Fernando Gago, Nicolas Burdisso—and that's without even mentioning the early 2000s and players like Leandro Cufre, Walter Samuel, and Gabriel Batistuta.

There is a long history between Argentinian players and Roma. And now, they will sign another one. Santiago Castro will have to score plenty of goals and work tirelessly before Roma supporters even begin mentioning him in the same sentence as Gabriel Batistuta. But when it comes to transfer fees, the two are already remarkably close. At the beginning of the millennium, Roma paid Fiorentina 36.15 million euros to sign Gabriel Batistuta, smashing the club's transfer record by more than 10 million, having previously spent a maximum of 25.82 million on Vincenzo Montella. Times were different and money had a different value back then, but Bologna striker Santiago Castro will now cost Roma almost as much as Batigol once did.

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As far as Roma are concerned, the striker simply has to be Argentine. Gian Piero Gasperini believes in Santiago Castro, which is why Roma will pay Bologna 35 million upfront. That's not all—the club from the Renato Dall'Ara Stadium could receive another two million in performance-related bonuses, while also retaining a 10% sell-on clause for the Argentine forward, who, like many of his compatriots, also holds an Italian passport.

Castro will undergo his medical examinations in the coming days and will earn two million per season at the Stadio Olimpico. He is exactly the type of striker Gian Piero Gasperini likes: not a static center-forward, but one who drops deep, looks for the ball, attacks space, and is also capable of dominating inside the penalty area. Last season he scored 11 goals and provided four assists. Perhaps Roma's coach can get out of him what he managed to get from Mateo Retegui at Atalanta.

Castro will certainly feel the pressure in the Eternal City, largely because he is already among the most expensive signings in the club's history. Even if all the bonuses are triggered, he will not become Roma's record signing, but he will surpass Gabriel Batistuta's transfer fee. Tammy Abraham cost 41 million euros, Artem Dovbyk slightly more at 41.1 million (he is set to join Bologna on loan, although the two deals are not officially linked, even if one helped facilitate the other), while Patrik Schick was signed for 42 million. Roma already paid Aston Villa 25 million for Donyell Malen, who is expected to be Gian Piero Gasperini's first-choice attacker this season. However, the experienced coach has never been afraid to play with two forwards. Malen and Santiago Castro could complement each other well, and Gasperini may try to recreate the kind of strike partnership he once had at Atalanta with Duvan Zapata and Luis Muriel.