Roma have wrapped up the signing of Konstantinos Koulierakis. According to figures reported by the specialist press, the deal with Wolfsburg is worth 17 million euros plus around 1.5 million in add-ons, with the German club understood to have kept 20 per cent of any future sale. The Greek defender arrived in the capital for his medical and would sign until 2031. He is Roma’s second signing of the summer, after Santiago Castro.
The deal at a glance
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Player | Konstantinos Koulierakis |
| Born | 28 November 2003 (22) |
| Birthplace | Chania, Crete |
| Position | Centre-back, left-footed |
| Height | 1.88 m |
| From | VfL Wolfsburg |
| To | AS Roma |
| Reported fee | 17 million plus 1.5 in add-ons, 20 per cent sell-on |
| Contract | Until 2031 |
| International | Greece, 22 caps |
Who Koulierakis is
He was built entirely inside PAOK Thessaloniki: 22 games for the B team between 2021 and 2022, then the first team, where he finished on 47 league appearances and 3 goals. Along the way came a Greek title, the 2023/24 Super League, and two consecutive selections in the Greek league team of the season.
In August 2024 Wolfsburg paid just under 12 million euros for him. Two seasons later the tally reads 59 Bundesliga appearances and 4 goals: genuine starter numbers in a league that does not hand minutes to foreign twenty-year-olds. He is on 22 caps for Greece, having debuted in 2022.
The left foot is not a detail
The feature that explains Roma’s interest is the foot. Koulierakis kicks with his left, and in a back three that changes far more than it appears.
A right-footed player on the left of a back three receives the ball and has to shift it before playing: half a second in which the body closes towards the inside, the pitch narrows and the passing lane to the high winger disappears. A left-footer in the same spot receives already open to the touchline. He can play short, he can lift his head and find the wing-back in width, he can switch play without an intermediate pass. It is not elegance: it is time gained in a zone where the press always arrives.
Add the physical frame. One metre eighty-eight, good explosiveness, reliability in aerial duels and in one against one on the ground. A profile that copes with a high line and with preventive marking, which is exactly what a team defending on the front foot needs.
How he fits Gasperini’s Roma
Gian Piero Gasperini plays with a back three and with man-oriented marking that drags defenders a long way from their starting positions. The Roma back line revolves around Gianluca Mancini, Evan Ndicka and Mario Hermoso, and Koulierakis arrives to add depth to a unit that has to handle league and European football.
His natural slot is on the left of the three, where having the correct foot and the ability to carry the ball matter more than anywhere else. It is also the zone where build-up starts for a side that wants to draw the opponent in and then play through them, and a centre-back who can escape pressure with the ball at his feet cuts down the number of aimless long balls.
What the structure of the deal says
The two most interesting lines in the agreement are not the millions but the conditions.
The first is the 20 per cent sell-on. It is how a club selling under pressure tries not to lose a player entirely: if Koulierakis is worth three times as much in three years, a slice of that profit goes back to Lower Saxony. For Roma it is a future concession in exchange for a lower price now.
The second is the context. Wolfsburg went down in May, for the first time ever, after 29 consecutive seasons in the German top flight: sixteenth place, a play-off against Paderborn, a goalless draw at home and a 2-1 extra-time defeat away. A club dropping a division has to cut its wage bill and lacks the leverage to say no. Everyone buying in these weeks knows it, and the price reflects it.
What to expect
A twenty-two-year-old defender with two full Bundesliga seasons behind him is not a gamble, he is a contained-risk investment. The real question is adaptation: Serie A asks centre-backs for a different kind of reading, with less grass behind them and more forwards drifting between the lines rather than attacking the space in behind.
The first month will say whether the transition is immediate. The rest will be settled by the season, which restarts on the weekend of 22 and 23 August.
Sources: official club communications, Italian and German sports press, public data and statistics archives. The figures for this deal are those reported by the specialist press and should be read as indications, not as official contractual data.
Frequently asked questions
How much are Roma paying for Koulierakis?
Figures reported by the specialist press point to 17 million euros as a fixed fee plus around 1.5 million in add-ons, with Wolfsburg understood to have kept 20 per cent of a future sale. These remain press indications, not official contractual data.
Who is Konstantinos Koulierakis?
A Greek centre-back born on 28 November 2003 in Chania, on Crete. He came through the PAOK Thessaloniki academy and has played for Wolfsburg since August 2024. He stands 1.88 m and is left-footed.
What position does Koulierakis play?
He is a left-sided centre-back. He can play on the left of a back three or as the left-sided centre-half in a back four. He holds up well in duels on the ground and in the air, and his left foot lets him step out with the ball and switch play.
How many Bundesliga games has he played?
He made 59 Bundesliga appearances with 4 goals across two seasons at Wolfsburg. Before that he had 47 appearances and 3 goals in the Greek top flight with PAOK.
Why did Wolfsburg sell him?
Because in May 2026 the club were relegated for the first time in their history, after 29 consecutive Bundesliga seasons, and have to cut the wage bill. Relegated clubs sell, and they sell the players who have a market.
