Castro Deal Nears Completion as Roma Eye Alajbegovic Alternative

With less than a month until the new Serie A season begins, roughly 100 players across the Italian top division remain sidelined from their clubs' plans, weighing heavily on balance sheets rather than contributing on the pitch. Napoli, Juventus and Inter face the most complex situations. Inter must manage Frattesi's declining market value as he seeks regular starting football without success, alongside problems with Asllani and Pavard. Napoli's squad is oversized and needs significant departures; Lukaku's substantial wage at 33 remains an obstacle, as does Lucca. Juventus carries aging contracts and new signings outside their plans, including Arthur, Openda, Douglas Luiz and Nico Gonzalez, who is reportedly unwilling to return to Turin and is also being tracked by Roma. Roma is working to move several players out. Artem Dovbyk's situation appeared complicated due to injury and a high valuation, but the club has found a potential solution in recent days: following Castro's arrival, the Ukrainian could leave on loan to Bologna, pending only his approval. Kumbulla's future also remains to be resolved. Milan faces more contained issues but still needs to find homes for Musah and Loftus-Cheek, while Rafael Leao's future hangs in the balance. Across the rest of Serie A, Atalanta, Bologna and Fiorentina face lighter departures, while Sassuolo and Lazio are among clubs needing to trim their squads before the transfer window closes.

Summerville has completed a transfer to Saudi Arabian club Al Hilal after coming close to joining AS Roma. The Dutch winger was one of Roma's headline transfer pursuits this window, but ultimately chose the Saudi Pro League side after Al Hilal's offer of 20 million euros per year swayed the decision. The move marks the end of a protracted saga in the Roma transfer market. Like previous windows that saw pursuits of Sancho and Rios, this season brought similar high-profile chase stories involving Greenwood and Summerville. Summerville's departure represents a significant loss for Roma's attacking options as the club continues its squad-building efforts under Gian Piero Gasperini. Following his official unveiling, Summerville outlined his reasons for the switch. "I watched Al Hilal's matches during the Club World Cup and saw the level of this squad. They were capable of playing against the best teams in the world. It really surprised me," he said. "I heard it's the best team in the Saudi Pro League, so the choice was easy."

Manu Koné remains at the centre of transfer speculation at Roma, with Manchester United pressing to bring the midfielder to Old Trafford following his impressive World Cup performance. No formal offer has yet reached the club, but United's interest is active. The Red Devils have already invested approximately 100 million euros combined in Tielemans and Santo, and must now prioritise outgoings before moving decisively for Koné. Michael Carrick's immediate focus is securing a left winger and identifying a third midfield reinforcement. Mason Mount, the English midfielder, could shift into that third midfield role internally—a solution that might diminish United's pursuit of Koné. Tchouaméni remains United's primary midfield target. The evolving situation at Old Trafford means Roma's chances of retaining Koné depend partly on developments elsewhere in the Premier League's transfer market.

With less than a month until the new Serie A season begins, roughly 100 players across the Italian top division remain sidelined from their clubs' plans, weighing heavily on balance sheets rather than contributing on the pitch. Napoli, Juventus and Inter face the most complex situations. Inter must manage Frattesi's declining market value as he seeks regular starting football without success, alongside problems with Asllani and Pavard. Napoli's squad is oversized and needs significant departures; Lukaku's substantial wage at 33 remains an obstacle, as does Lucca. Juventus carries aging contracts and new signings outside their plans, including Arthur, Openda, Douglas Luiz and Nico Gonzalez, who is reportedly unwilling to return to Turin and is also being tracked by Roma. Roma is working to move several players out. Artem Dovbyk's situation appeared complicated due to injury and a high valuation, but the club has found a potential solution in recent days: following Castro's arrival, the Ukrainian could leave on loan to Bologna, pending only his approval. Kumbulla's future also remains to be resolved. Milan faces more contained issues but still needs to find homes for Musah and Loftus-Cheek, while Rafael Leao's future hangs in the balance. Across the rest of Serie A, Atalanta, Bologna and Fiorentina face lighter departures, while Sassuolo and Lazio are among clubs needing to trim their squads before the transfer window closes.

Artem Dovbyk is poised to leave Roma on loan to Bologna as the Ukrainian striker has fallen out of favour under Gian Piero Gasperini. The move comes as Santiago Castro's transfer to Roma approaches finalisation at approximately €35 million, with Roma and Bologna close to agreement on Dovbyk's temporary switch. The striker has spoken with Bologna head coach Domenico Tedesco and the final decision now rests with Dovbyk himself. Dovbyk no longer fits Gasperini's plans at Roma, and Castro's imminent arrival would further limit his opportunities. Bologna are pursuing the loan formula through the 2027 season, though the Ukrainian's high salary presents a financial challenge for the Serie A club. Domenico Tedesco's conversation with Dovbyk went positively, and all parties are reportedly confident in reaching a final agreement. Roma have already opened doors to the temporary departure, shifting focus to concluding the Castro operation. Fiorentina have also made an enquiry about Dovbyk and could accelerate their interest depending on developments at their club. The player is considering his options following reflection on the Bologna destination but has not yet given formal approval for the move to Emilia-Romagna.

Roma are pushing to complete the signing of Argentine forward Castro from Bologna, with the player having already agreed personal terms. Sporting director D'Amico has intensified negotiations with both Castro and Bologna, working to reduce the club's initial asking price of 40 million euros by at least 10 million in a bid to wrap up the deal by the end of the day. The move would represent Gasperini's first summer reinforcement. Castro's arrival would further strengthen Roma's Argentine contingent in attack, reuniting him with fellow countrymen Paulo Dybala and Matías Soulé at Trigoria. Both Soulé and Castro were excluded from Argentina's recent World Cup squad despite being on Scaloni's preliminary list, and the pair have trained together this summer under the same fitness coach, Guido Viggiano. While Castro is not the wide forward Gasperini specifically requested, he would serve as a valuable addition, particularly as a potential understudy to Donyell Malen given that Artem Dovbyk is poised to leave the club.

Lorenzo Pellegrini is set to sign a new contract with Roma after weeks of negotiations, bringing an end to uncertainty surrounding his future at the club. The midfielder's previous deal expires on 30 June, and the new agreement will run for 2 years with an option for a third year. His salary will decrease from 4 million euros to 2.5 million euros per season, plus performance bonuses. The prolonged wait has not damaged relations between the club and the former captain, who is currently recovering from injury. If his rehabilitation progresses smoothly, Pellegrini is expected to join the squad for the second phase of pre-season training in Wales.

Lorenzo Pellegrini has agreed fresh terms with AS Roma after the club overcame a key sticking point in negotiations. Pellegrini had sought a three-year deal, but Roma offered a two-year contract with an option for a third year—a proposal the midfielder accepted. As part of the agreement, Pellegrini took a significant wage cut, dropping from 4 million plus bonuses to 2.5 million per season. The renewal represents a boost for head coach Gian Piero Gasperini ahead of the second phase of Roma's summer training camp. Pellegrini's contract resolution clears the path for the club to focus on other transfer priorities. Santiago Castro is arriving as Roma's first summer signing, while sporting director D'Amico continues to pursue a left-footed right winger. Nusa remains the club's preferred target, though RB Leipzig's asking price of 60 million euros remains a significant obstacle.

Lorenzo Pellegrini remains in limbo nearly a month after his contract expired on 30 June, with head coach Gian Piero Gasperini keen to retain him but negotiations still unresolved ahead of the new season. Gasperini has sought Pellegrini's confirmation alongside Paulo Dybala and Zeki Çelik; Dybala has already signed new terms and Çelik has departed, but Pellegrini's future remains uncertain. The midfielder is currently recovering from a previous season injury and unavailable for training, which has extended talks. Gasperini said: "I hope for the renewal, but at this moment the player could not train. He must recover from injury, for this reason the timescales are a little longer. In the meantime I hope he can recover as soon as possible, then reach an agreement." A banner from the Roma supporters' group appeared at the training ground reading: "Making a mistake can happen... Repeating it means carelessness! Let's hold on to Lorenzo!" Bryan Cristante added his support after Roma's friendly with Trastevere at Trigoria, saying he had been in contact with Pellegrini and was waiting for him with open arms. The sticking point centres on contract duration: Pellegrini is requesting a three-year deal but would reportedly accept two years. The squad will soon relocate from Trigoria to Wales for their summer training camp.