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Romano's sale marks latest academy profit as Roma's youth factory continues to yield returns
·26 August 2026·45d ago

Romano's sale marks latest academy profit as Roma's youth factory continues to yield returns

Source: Forza Roma

Alessandro Romano has become the latest academy graduate to leave Roma for a substantial fee, joining Cagliari this summer for €5 million plus add-ons after scoring on his debut for the Sardinian club. The midfielder's departure exemplifies a pattern established under José Mourinho's tenure, when Roma developed and sold players including Tahirovic, Felix and Missori at significant profit.

Romano arrived at Trigoria in 2022 from Winterthur for €70,000 thanks to the initiative of Vincenzo Vergine, who ran the academy from July 2021 until September 2023. The lengthy negotiations to secure the Italian-Swiss player were competitive, as Roma were not alone in pursuit; Romano has since attracted attention from national team coach Mancini, though he has represented only Switzerland's youth sides. That same year Vergine also brought Sergej Levak, a Croatian midfielder, to the club. Levak now plays for Atalanta's under-23 side and has already caught the eye of Sarri for the senior squad, but generated no transfer profit as he left Roma on a free transfer at the end of his contract this summer.

Mourinho gave league debuts to 14 academy players overall, and the broader youth system proved crucial to Roma's finances in summer 2023 when several academy products were sold to balance the accounts. Romano and Levak represent the latest generation from a pipeline that has consistently delivered sellable talent.

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Testo Originale / Source Text

“Alessandro Romano rischia di diventare un rimpianto, anche se forse è presto per dirlo. Il centrocampista ha segnato un gran gol all'esordio con la maglia del Cagliari, club che lo ha acquistato in estate per 5 milioni più bonus. L'ennesima plusvalenza portata da una gestione che, durante l'epoca…”

Read the full article in Italian at Forza Roma.

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