Roma Mull Over Swap of Defenders with Atalanta Loanee | OneFootball

Roma will need one or more new defenders in the summer since Mats Hummels will hang up his cleats and are weighing targeting Odilon Kossounou, who’s at Atalanta on loan from Bayer Leverkusen. He has shown glimpses but also spent a lot of time on the mend.

According to Radio Manà Manà Sport (via Europa Calcio), La Dea have yet to decide whether to buy him out for €25M. The Giallorossi took advantage of the opening and inquired with the Bundesliga outfit. The counterparty is interested in retaining Mario Hermoso. His temporary spell was cut short by a shoulder injury.

If Atalanta let their option lapse, Roma and Bayer Leverkusen will start discussing a partial swap involving Kossounou and the Spanish veteran.

The 24-year-old has appeared 19 times with the Bergamaschi, generally faring decently. He missed four games in the early going due to a thigh strain and three months at the start of 2025 due to a tendon tear in the same area.

Our Take on Roma and Kossounou

He’s been fine and imposing at times when healthy and starting for a few games in a row, but availability is a skill, and the price tag is pretty rich for what has occurred during this campaign. The best way to go for both La Dea and the Giallorossi is to pursue another loan with a lower clause to evaluate him better and see if this year’s injury woes were a fluke. He’s a better fit for the former given his athleticism. Instead, the capital side could use a more cerebral player, given the traits of their other top defenders.