Rome Transfer Market: A Surprise Twist Involving Jadon Sancho—The New Strategy

Roma is still in the running with other clubs to sign Jadon Sancho, one of the top free agents following the close of the summer transfer window. The English forward has been linked to several clubs in recent days: in addition to the Giallorossi, he is being targeted by Borussia Dortmund—which may opt to bring him back to the Bundesliga—and by several unspecified Premier League clubs.

According to rumors reported by calciomercato.it, the Giallorossi’s sporting director, Tony D’Amico, is reportedly considering a surprise solution to give Gian Piero Gasperini the winger he has long been asking for: there is talk of a possible “pay-per-game” contract, tied to the number of matches actually played by the former Manchester United star. Jadon Sancho is coming off some difficult years: last season, he played for Aston Villa without making much of an impact.

The need to make moves in the free-agent market stems from a summer transfer window that left the Giallorossi with more than a few regrets. D’Amico himself, at a press conference in Trigoria, admitted to the missed opportunities: “We had Leweling all wrapped up. There was a full agreement with the player and with Stuttgart, but then he changed his mind at the last minute. We also had an agreement for Luiz Henrique and Zenit, but in that case there were banking issues with Russia. Summerville? It’s a matter of timing; the window we had to close the deal for Castro wasn’t the same as the one for Summerville.” Despite the fallen-through negotiations, the sporting director had nevertheless indicated that the free-agent market would be closely monitored in the coming weeks.

Sancho’s career trajectory represents one of the most striking cases of decline in European soccer in recent years. Between 2017 and 2021, while playing for Borussia Dortmund, he was considered one of the best wingers in the world in his position. His transfer to Manchester United marked the beginning of a long, dark period, punctuated by loan spells—first to Borussia Dortmund, then to Chelsea, and finally to Aston Villa—without him ever managing to regain consistency or brilliance in any of those stints. Today, at 26, the player is determined to make a comeback and is training hard to prove that he can still play a leading role at the highest levels.