Soulé ‘in tears’ when Roma dream in doubt, reveals Juventus dilemma | OneFootball

Matias Soulé confessed he was ‘in tears’ when fearing the dream move to Roma would break down amid Leicester City talks and reveals Thiago Motta didn’t want to sell.

The 21-year-old completed the transfer to the Stadio Olimpico for €25.6m plus up to €4m in performance-related bonuses after weeks of negotiations.

Although Leicester City were prepared to bid higher and give him a superior salary, he had his heart set on the Giallorossi.

“I was so anxious I wouldn’t be able to come here,” he told the Corriere dello Sport.

“The negotiations took so long and I suffered too: I was in tears at one point, because I really feared it would fall apart. Daniele De Rossi called and reassured me.”

Considering Roma have been forced to tighten their belts for years over Financial Fair Play parameters, did he feel pressure at costing them so much?

“No, in fact it is motivation, so I want to prove I am worth that much money.”

Why Soulé had his heart set on Roma

From the very beginning it was clear that coach De Rossi played a key role in convincing Soulé that Roma was the right destination for his career.

“He really likes me and I feel the same about him. He’s such a hard worker. I talked to him many times during the negotiations, and he even has a great Argentine accent! He is bringing in a winning mentality.”

Another important figure in making Roma a draw was Paulo Dybala, who was already a teammate at Juventus and a fellow Argentine.

“He is like a big brother to me, a guide not just in football, but in life. In one of his last games for Juve, he wanted me to come on and play a few minutes with him, but unfortunately all the substitutions had been completed. We had to wait three years, but here we are.”

Juventus ‘had to cash in’ on Soulé

Juventus had not initially wanted to sell Soulé, but the chance to make such a huge profit on a player who joined them for just €2.5m in January 2020 was impossible to pass up.

In fact, he reveals they very nearly sold him six months into his loan spell at Frosinone.

“It is painful, because in the first months of 2024 I was concentrated on playing well for Frosinone so I could earn my place at Juve. Instead, in January I found out they were about to sell me to an Arabian club.

“I didn’t want to go, but at that point it became clear what my future would be. I was let down, but I had to get over it.”

Even the arrival of new coach Thiago Motta failed to change the club approach.

“He gave me advice and could see me in his plans for the attack, but the decision had already been made, they needed to cash in…”