Roma acquista il prolifico attaccante Le Fée di Rennes per €23 milioni.

Whenever there are major cup tournaments during the summer break, it inevitably throws off the transfer market in pretty major ways. Some of the world’s brightest stars are busy representing their countries via international play, meaning that transfers take longer to be agreed to, and announcements are few and far between until mid-July.

For Roma, that has created a situation where the Giallorossi clearly have several holes in their squad heading into training camp. The rumor mill has established that certain players are the main goals for Daniele De Rossi and Florent Ghisolfi during this summer mercato. Still, outside of Primavera signing Buba Sangaré, very little has been accomplished on the market as we approach mid-July.

The first serious domino has now officially fallen in Roma’s summer transfer plans, with the club announcing the signing of French midfielder Enzo Le Fée from Rennes. While the team did not disclose Le Fée’s transfer fee, rumor guru Fabrizio Romano maintains that the club paid a cool €23,000,000 for the Frenchman, with other outlets suggesting that fee will be paid via several installments to make the FFP hit more manageable for Roma.

Le Fée is an all-around type of midfielder in the mold of Thiago Alcântara or Marco Verratti, one who can pull the strings offensively while also providing a decent amount of defensive coverage despite a diminutive frame. The right-footed midfielder is also known for his coordination and body balance; when combined with agility and balance on the ball, he is a challenge to force off the ball if he’s in his stride.

Le Fée’s sole season at Rennes was a disappointment compared to his quick rise at Lorient, but still, nobody in the Rennes camp seems to believe that’s down to a failing on Le Fée’s part. Former Roma executive and current Rennes DS Frederic Massara said the following as it became clear that Le Fée would be leaving his club:

“At the beginning we hadn’t necessarily planned to do without him,” said Massara.

“Le Fee was a great investment for the club last summer. He was in great demand. His thoughts were a little different than ours about staying here.”

“This is obviously not a sufficient condition for leaving Rennes. Rennes decides when the players will leave and under what conditions.”

“When there were conditions that seemed important and positive for us, for a player who had not managed to fully grow, we felt that it was an important thing and that we had to sell him. He will obviously be replaced this summer.”

Those aren’t the words of someone who’s entirely thrilled to be losing a player, but more understanding that the Rennes environment isn’t the proper one for Le Fée to blossom further.