Roma raise Rios offer to total 30m, but keep El Aynaoui on track too | OneFootball

Roma continue their pursuit of a midfielder, as the latest offer for Richard Rios is only €5m off the Palmeiras valuation, while negotiations are also in progress for Neil El Aynaoui of RC Lens.

The Giallorossi are trying to revamp their squad to suit the tactical ideas of new coach Gian Piero Gasperini, and that means quite a few changes in midfield.

There are two main targets right now, with the club trying to keep both talks on track, waiting to see which can be completed first.

Rios remains first target for Roma

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA – JUNE 28: Richard Rios #8 of Palmeiras walks onto the pitch prior to the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 round of 16 match between SE Palmeiras and Botafogo FR at Lincoln Financial Field on June 28, 2025 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images)

The first choice is Rios of Palmeiras, and now Sky Sport Italia suggest the latest proposal has closed the gap between offer and demand to just €5m.

This fits with the reporting on Football Italia from transfer expert Alfredo Pedullà on July 11, confirming that the next bid would be €25m plus €5m in add-ons.

Considering the asking price is €30m plus bonuses, this has reduced the difference significantly, but won’t be sufficient yet.

FREIBURG IM BREISGAU, GERMANY – FEBRUARY 22: Neil El Aynaoui of RC Lens controls the ball during the UEFA Europa League 2023/24 knockout round play-offs second leg match between Sport-Club Freiburg and RC Lens at Europa-Park Stadion on February 22, 2024 in Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany. (Photo by Oliver Hardt/Getty Images)

At the same time, Footmercato reported that Roma had agreed personal terms with El Aynaoui, but that getting RC Lens to agree a sale for under €30m was going to be difficult.

This was confirmed today when El Aynaoui played 45 minutes of a pre-season friendly against Standard Liege, with coach Pierre Sage telling reporters “if he had been ready to leave, he wouldn’t even have played a minute of football today.”