What was coming for weeks is becoming a reality, with Roma on the cusp of completing their first summer signing in the form of Rennes midfielder Enzo Le Fee. Several sources, including L’Equipe and Fabrizio Romano, broke the news on Sunday night, highlighting the deal is in the final stages.
Negotiations between Roma and Rennes over the French star’s switch to the Stadio Olimpico are long-running. Talks had briefly hit a standstill as the Giallorossi refused to meet the Roazhon Park side’s €25 million asking price. But persistency prevailed, as they found a breakthrough on Sunday.
Roma were initially reluctant to cross the €15m threshold to sign the 24-year-old. But as Rennes, who paid Lorient €20m to sign Le Fee last summer, held out for a higher price, Daniele De Rossi’s team had to up their bid to close the deal.
Instead of the anticipated €20m, Roma will splash out an additional €3m to complete their first summer signing. Le Fee will reportedly undergo a medical in the coming days before putting pen to paper on a five-year contract worth around €2.5m per season.
Le Fee joined Rennes with high expectations. But his poor relationship with coach Julien Stephan plagued his time in Brittany. Therefore, he didn’t have to think twice when Roma invited him to come on board at the end of last season.
While he might be a stranger to many people around Roma, that’s not the case with sporting director Florent Ghisolfi, who knows Le Fee well from the Lorient youth academy. His role in the operation has been pivotal, with De Rossi expecting his newest midfield addition to join the pre-season camp by the end of next week.
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