Roma Approaches Rodrigo Mora After Positive Porto Negotiations

After weeks of stalemate and shifting formulas, Roma and FC Porto have finally found common ground on Rodrigo Mora – and this time the numbers look built to stick.

The clubs are now working on a deal structured at €25m up front for 50 per cent of the player’s rights, with Roma holding an option to buy the remaining half for another €25m at the end of the season. That keeps the overall package at €50m, but crucially changes how and when the money moves.

This is a sharp turn from the solution that was on the table just days ago. Roma and Porto had been edging towards a loan at €10m with an option to buy for a further €40m, an option that would have turned into an obligation if certain sporting conditions were met.

That’s where everything jammed.

Porto pushed for those clauses to be as close to guaranteed as possible, effectively wanting certainty that the €40m would arrive. Roma, wary of being locked into a huge commitment, tried to tie the obligation to on-pitch success – Champions League qualification, or even a Scudetto-winning season.

The gap in risk appetite froze negotiations and threatened to derail the move altogether.

Now the structure has changed, the mood has changed with it. Multiple sources in Italy and Portugal are aligned on the same framework: Roma pay €25m now to secure half of Mora, then decide at season’s end whether to trigger the second €25m and take full control.

If they choose not to, Porto keep their 50 per cent stake and will be entitled to half of any future transfer fee. Roma still get the player, Porto still share in his potential resale, and the financial hit is spread more cleanly for both sides.

There is also a sporting urgency driving the final sprint. Mora is not in coach Francesco Farioli’s plans at Porto, a reality that has added pressure on the Portuguese club to unlock the situation and move the forward on.

From Atlanta at the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 to European nights like the Europa League clash at the City Ground against Nottingham Forest, Mora has shown enough to tempt Roma into a sizeable outlay. Now, with the structure finally agreed in principle, the clubs are racing to close the final details within days.

Roma get their man, if they complete it. Porto keep a hand on his future. The real verdict will come on the pitch – and on whether that second €25m looks like a bargain or a burden when this season is done.