Roma race to beat Atletico Madrid to Malen as Raspadori sets off dominos

Roma face a race against time to wrap up a deal for Donyell Malen with Aston Villa, as Atletico Madrid are now interested in picking up the Dutchman as a replacement for Giacomo Raspadori, who is now heading to Atalanta rather than the capital. 

A series of January transfer dominos could soon be about to fall involving teams in Serie A, LaLiga and the Premier League. 

Roma have been keen to provide Gian Piero Gasperini with multiple attacking reinforcements this month. They had been pursuing a deal for Atletico’s Raspadori, who now seems set to join Atalanta instead. 

Reports this week suggest that the Giallorossi have instead turned their attention to Aston Villa’s Malen, and that they have an agreement in principle in place over a loan deal with an option to buy for a fee in the region of €25m-€30m. 

According to reports from Sky Sport Italia, Roma are now hard at work to convince Malen himself to sign. This has now become a pressing priority, as Atletico Madrid are also keen on picking up the Netherlands international as a replacement for the aforementioned Raspadori, who looks set to sign for Atalanta.