Artem Dovbyk’s potential move to Atletico Madrid appears to be fading, with Roma emerging as the frontrunner for the Ukrainian striker’s signature. The player’s agent, Oleksiy Lundovskyi, has provided insight into the situation, stating to UkrFootball: “Atletico Madrid is a big club, but we haven’t seen a serious project for Artem here. Their financial offer is significantly lower than offers from other clubs interested in La Liga’s top scorer.”
Dovbyk, born in 1997 and formerly of Dnipro, is currently under contract with Girona until June 2028. The striker had an impressive 2023-2024 season, scoring 24 goals and providing 10 assists in 39 appearances. His release clause stands at €40 million, a figure that Roma is prepared to meet through a combination of fixed fees and bonuses.
The Italian club are reportedly ready to offer a base sum of around 30 million euros, bolstered by additional performance-related bonuses. Roma’s confidence in securing the deal is further strengthened by an agreement already reached with the player. Dovbyk has reportedly agreed to a five-year contract until June 2029, with an annual net salary of €3.5 million.
This potential transfer draws parallels to a significant move 26 years ago when Lazio acquired Christian Vieri from Atletico Madrid for 55 billion lire (equivalent to €28.4 million) in the summer of 1998. Since then, no Italian team has purchased the top scorer from the Spanish league.
Meanwhile, Roma has already secured the signing of Argentine attacking midfielder Matias Soulé, born in 2003, from Juventus. Soulé, who recently completed a loan spell at Frosinone, joins the Giallorossi for 26 million euros, with an additional 4 million euros in bonuses and a 10% future resale clause.
