From Vanenburg's signature to Mahrez and Greenwood: Roma's transfer soap operas
Transfer News·9 July 2026·20h ago

From Vanenburg's signature to Mahrez and Greenwood: Roma's transfer soap operas

Source: Forza Roma

Roma's history is littered with failed transfer pursuits that collapsed at the final moment, often after weeks of negotiations and optimism. Mason Greenwood is the latest in a long line of high-profile targets to slip away, eventually choosing Turkish money over a move to the Giallorossi. Last summer, Ríos was identified as Gasperini's key midfield acquisition, but Massara's protracted handling of the deal allowed negotiations to founder; the Colombian eventually joined Benfica. Sancho and Mahrez also vanished into thin air despite sustained contact.

The most infamous recent case came on 23 July when Roma publicly announced a deal for Malcom from Bordeaux, valued at more than 30 million euros, only for Barcelona to swoop in and hijack the transfer minutes before the Brazilian's arrival at Ciampino airport. Malcom later moved to Al-Hilal. Historically, the pattern repeats: in 1998, Roma came close to signing young Ukrainian striker Andrij Shevchenko before discovering Milan had already secured him; in 1989, Dutch midfielder Vanenburg actually signed for Roma but mysteriously withdrew, citing the club's absence from European competition in 1989–90 as his official reason. Midfielder Davids and striker Mutu were others who came agonisingly close but never arrived.

One rare exception offers hope: in the summer of 1980, while Roma pursued Zico, Falcao arrived as a surprise alternative and proved transformative. The club hopes for similar fortune in future windows.

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Testo Originale / Source Text

L'estate è la stagione dei tormentoni. Ci sono quelli musicali da ascoltare tutto il giorno in radio o su Spotify e poi ci sono quelli legati al calciomercato. Giorni di incontri e riflessioni prima del naufragio come spesso è capitato nella storia della Roma. Le telenovele, infatti, difficilmente…

Read the full article in Italian at Forza Roma.

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