Milan chase Soulé, but talks hit obstacles over structure and price

Sending young players out on loan is often meant to build experience, but the tactic frequently backfires. Three recent cases illustrate the gamble: Bologna's Antonio Raimondo, Roma's Alessandro Romano, and Atalanta's Dominic Vavassori have all thrived in loan moves, raising questions about whether their parent clubs made the right call letting them go. Raimondo has scored two double goals in Bologna's opening four matches this season after manager Tedesco chose to start the season with Artem Dovbyk, fresh from a difficult spell at Roma, and Roberto Piccoli. Roma took a bolder step by loaning Alessandro Romano to Cagliari with an obligation to buy during the summer transfer window. Romano scored on his debut, has been among Cagliari's best performers consistently, and earned a senior international cap—a remarkable return for a prospect Roma developed in their youth academy. Roma's midfield includes Cristante, Koné, Pisilli and De Roon, all established operators with strong pedigree. Their presence justified sending Romano out, yet one observer, Pisacane, remarked that Romano was "very similar to Strootman," suggesting his value may have been underestimated. Vavassori, with Atalanta, has an equally striking early record. Though Sarri declined to change his forward pairing of Scamacca and Krstovic—the combination that earned Atalanta European qualification last year—Vavassori has netted twice in the opening stretch of this season with Palermo, a club positioned to mount a promotion bid. Baldini recognised Vavassori's potential after calling him to a national team stage following the World Cup campaign, and Atalanta acknowledged his promise by granting him significant minutes in their U23 side. Not every loan fails: Milan showed sound judgment loaning Cissè and Liberali to Catanzaro last season under Aquilani, and both have since been integrated into the first team. The article concludes that success depends on the squad, the player, and the context—there is no universal formula, though evaluation errors remain common.

Alessandro Romano, a Roma academy product sold to Cagliari this summer, is attracting significant attention after an impressive start to the season. Cagliari manager Fabio Pisacane has drawn a striking parallel with Kevin Strootman following the club's victory over Udinese, saying of the 20-year-old midfielder: "I think he doesn't even know how strong he is. He's a complete player — if I'm to make a comparison, he's a player like Strootman, with even greater physical impact." Pisacane added: "Perhaps Strootman had a more educated left foot, but Romano has game understanding, sacrifice, dedication, knows how to play football. He's a complete player. He needs to play a lot, even if he makes mistakes." The comparison resonates sharply in Rome because Strootman, before a serious knee injury derailed his trajectory, was one of the most accomplished and well-rounded midfielders to play for Roma in recent years. Romano has found at Cagliari what he would have struggled to obtain immediately at Roma under Gasperini: regular playing time, confidence, and the freedom to learn through mistakes. The academy prospect has progressed rapidly enough to earn his first senior national team call-up. The tension is that Romano did not leave on a simple loan: Cagliari acquired him with an obligation to buy for approximately €6 million upon the completion of unspecified sporting conditions. If those conditions are met, he will be contracted to Cagliari until 2032. Roma's problem is both tactical and structural. Romano was regarded as one of the most promising prospects from the Giallorossi youth academy and had already sampled Serie A football under Gasperini. At only twenty, he is now demonstrating the ability to handle a significant role in the top flight, combining technical quality with a tactical maturity that impressed Pisacane: "He seems like a player much older than his age." The club does need revenue from its academy, and not every young player can find immediate space in a side chasing Champions League qualification and the Serie A summit. Yet when a Trigoria-developed player begins to establish himself elsewhere within months of departure, questions become unavoidable — especially when his daily coach invokes the name of Strootman.

Alessandro Romano, a Roma academy graduate who departed for Cagliari a few weeks ago, has impressed his new club sufficiently to earn a call-up to the Italy national team at the behest of coach Mancini. Cagliari manager Pisacane highlighted Romano's development after his side's victory over Udinese, drawing a comparison to a former Roma midfielder. Pisacane told Sky: "Romano? I don't think he even knows how strong he is himself. He's a complete player—if I have to give an example, he's a player like Strootman but with more physical impact. Perhaps Strootman had a more educated left foot, but he's a player who understands the game, has sacrifice, has dedication, knows how to play football. He's a complete player. He needs to play a lot, even if he makes mistakes: he surprised me—compared to Palestra, who made two or three mistakes at Udinese, he seems a player much more mature than his age would suggest."