AC Milan target Soulé as Roma demand €40m

John Galantic has been named AS Roma's new Chief Executive Officer, ending a vacancy that lasted since September 2024 when Lina Souloukou departed following Daniele De Rossi's dismissal. The Friedkin Group confirmed the appointment through an official statement. Galantic brings substantial executive experience from the luxury sector, having held senior roles at Procter & Gamble (1990–1995), GlaxoSmithKline, and Chanel, where he served as Chief Operating Officer for the United States from 2007. He held the position of CEO at the Tod's Group until spring 2024 and has served as a non-executive board member of Ferrari since 2020. Galantic previously sat on Roma's board between 2014 and 2020 during James Pallotta's presidency. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from Tufts University and an MBA from Harvard Business School. The new CEO is described as a passionate Roma supporter, a passion inherited from his father, Ivan, who lived in Rome from 1939 to 1951. Ivan was an art historian specialising in the Italian Renaissance and a professor emeritus of Fine Arts at Tufts University. Gian Piero Gasperini met Galantic on the day of his appointment. The club believes Galantic's appointment will help accelerate transfer dealings, which have historically moved slowly at Roma.

Roma's transfer window has shifted into high gear. An official double announcement confirming the exchange of Santiago Castro and Artem Dovbyk with Bologna is expected imminently. Director of football Tony D'Amico is close to securing Konstantinos Koulierakis, the left-footed centre-back from Wolfsburg born in 2003, who has already given his full approval. An agreement with the German club is being finalised for a fee near €15 million. Koulierakis will expand Roma's central defensive options alongside Gianluca Mancini, Evan N'Dicka and Mario Hermoso, with Jan Ziółkowski pushing for a departure. In defence and the wide areas, Ivan Fresneda (Sporting Lisbon asking €20 million) and Gabriele Cacciamani, the 19-year-old Torino prospect who impressed on loan at Juve Stabia, remain under consideration at €15 million. In attack, Abde Ezzalzouli has returned to the agenda alongside Jean-Mattéo Bahoya. Real Betis are demanding €45 million, while Roma are targeting a reduction to €35 million. On outgoings, Riccardo Pagano's move to Cesena has been confirmed with a sell-on clause retained by Roma. Anass Salah-Eddine's transfer to Olympiacos for €7.5 million is closing, and Angeliño has joined Deportivo La Coruña on loan with a €3 million purchase option.

Roma are on the verge of signing Greek centre-back Konstantinos Koulierakis, with the club's director of sport Tony D'Amico advancing negotiations on two fronts. The player has signalled his willingness to join the Giallorossi, while D'Amico has spent hours negotiating with the German club over bonuses on a fixed fee of €15 million. The signing would continue Roma's tradition of recruiting Greek defenders, following in the footsteps of Traianos Dellas and Kostas Manolas. The deal represents one of several moves the club is pursuing across the pitch this window. The transfer for Antonio Nusa of Leipzig has been ruled out due to prohibitive costs, but Roma remain in talks over Abde Ezzalzouli of Betis (€35 million plus €3 million in bonuses) and Jean-Matteo Bahoya of Eintracht. A more concrete option has emerged in 24-year-old Brentford winger Kevin Schade. At full-back, Roma continue to pursue Spanish left-back Ivan Fresneda of Sporting Lisbona, valued at over €20 million, with the club preparing an offer of €15 million plus bonuses to fill the void after Zeki Çelik.

Santiago Castro has completed his medical assessment at Campus Biomedico and arrived at Trigoria to begin life as AS Roma's new number 9. The Argentine forward, signed from Vélez, embodies the profile favoured by head coach Gian Piero Gasperini—combining the dynamism that reminds the manager of Donyell Malen or Luis Muriel from his time at Atalanta. Castro will undergo his official presentation, take his first training session under Gasperini, and link up with Roma's Argentine contingent of Matías Soulé and Paulo Dybala before joining the squad for their pre-season training camp in Wales. Gasperini views Castro's arrival as a significant boost to Roma's attacking options. The 21-year-old can operate as a pure centre-forward, a mobile second striker, or a left-sided attacker, giving the Italian tactician flexibility across multiple competitions and knockout fixtures. With Paulo Dybala positioned as a playmaker, the pairing promises to unlock different offensive configurations. Castro's versatility allows Roma to tailor their formation and approach based on the opposition, strengthening the squad depth and providing certainty during the demanding season ahead.

Santiago Castro has completed his medical at Campus Biomedico and arrived at Trigoria as a Roma player, choosing the number 9 shirt. The striker will be formally presented today and take his first training session under Gian Piero Gasperini. Castro joins a forward line that includes Paulo Dybala and Donyell Malen, reconnecting with fellow Argentine Matías Soulé at the club. Gasperini has identified in Castro echoes of earlier successful central strikers he has managed—a profile similar to Malen or Luis Muriel during his Atalanta years. Castro inherits a prestigious shirt with deep roots in Roma's attacking tradition. The 23-year-old can operate as a centre-forward, attacking midfielder, or left-sided winger, the position he occupied at Velez. Gasperini has demonstrated at Bergamo that central attackers can coexist and elevate one another's play, particularly when orchestrated by a creative presence like Dybala. Castro's positional versatility will give the coach tactical flexibility and the ability to rotate his forward line based on opposition and match demands, while maintaining continuity in key fixtures.

Santiago Castro has completed his move to Roma on a five-year contract worth €1.5 million plus bonuses per season, with the signing formally concluded today. The deal forms part of a package involving Artem Dovbyk's departure to Bologna. Castro was greeted by crowds at Termini railway station despite the weekday timing, and will now begin training under Gian Piero Gasperini alongside his new teammates. The Argentine will wear the number 9 shirt—the traditional pure strikers' number. Castro, 20, impressed Gasperini during Atalanta's Coppa Italia quarter-final win over Roma in February 2025, a match the Argentine won with a goal that sent Atalanta to the final. Roma face that same Atalanta side again when they begin preparations in Wales this Friday, with friendlies against Cardiff, Newport, and Brighton scheduled before an Ferragosto test against Borussia Dortmund. His competitive debut comes on 24 August. In attack, Castro will initially operate alongside fellow Argentines Paulo Dybala and Matías Soulé, who are currently Roma's only playmakers. Soulé and Castro are linked by a strong friendship and spent part of their holidays training together at Comunicaciones, the club owned by Soulé's father. Donyell Malen will also feature, with Castro serving as his primary alternative, though Gasperini may deploy the pair's combined pace and dynamism simultaneously.