Unless you’ve had zero access to the internet for the past week, you’re aware that Roma and Tiago Pinto have been pushing hard for Chelsea's Tammy Abraham to become Roma’s next starting striker. After the Giallorossi quickly agreed to a deal with Chelsea for Abraham’s services, the days of negotiations between Pinto and Abraham’s entourage were reported upon breathlessly by all the usual suspects. You could practically set your watch to the daily updates from La Repubblica, Sky Sports, and Fabrizio Romano detailing where exactly the Giallorossi were on the road to signing the England international, and just how close Arsenal might be to spoiling Roma’s dreams of a new-look forward line.
With Edin Džeko’s move to Inter Milan confirmed and real meaningful games on the horizon, it was clear that something was going to give, and give it did:
Although this might not be enough for you if you’re a member of the “PDF or die” crowd, a “done deal” tweet from both Gianluca Di Marzio and Fabrizio Romano is the closest thing to a 100% confirmed signing possible barring the actual club announcement, meaning that for all intents and purposes, Tammy Abraham is a Roma player.
In addition, although the rumors of a buy-back clause were confirmed by Di Marzio, the value of that clause is €80 million, not the €55 million or €60 million that had been reported in recent days, and it will only be available in the summer of 2023. That means that even if Chelsea does exercise the clause two seasons from now, Roma will be making a neat €40 million profit on the transfer: certainly not ideal if Abraham turns into a capocannoniere contender, but certainly better than originally advertised.