Cherubini set for Benevento loan as Roma tie up contract renewal

Roma are readying an improved bid for Torino left-back Alessio Cacciamani, a prospect born in 2007 whom head coach Gian Piero Gasperini rates highly. The club have asked sporting director D'Amico to continue talks after their initial offer of €12 million plus €3 million in bonuses was rejected. Roma are now poised to increase their bid to approach the €20 million valuation set by Torino for the player. Cacciamani spent the previous season on loan at Juve Stabia in Serie B and returned to Torino in June. Though Torino coach Abate holds him in high regard and the player had expressed a preference to remain and develop gradually at the club, president Cairo—who previously stated his intention not to sell—must now balance the financial pressures of generating profit. Gasperini has identified Cacciamani as a key piece for strengthening Roma's left flank and views him as an important asset for the club's future plans.

Roma's transfer hunt has shifted into high gear, with negotiations over Porto's Rodrigo Mora stalled for two days over disagreements on buy-back clause terms, according to director D'Amico. Should that deal fall through, Belgian winger Malick Fofana of Lyon has emerged as the leading alternative. Lyon value the 2005-born prospect at a minimum of €40 million, though fitness concerns around him persist. The timeline could favour Roma's pursuit. Between 18 and 26 August, Lyon face Fenerbahce in Champions League play-offs. Fofana is eager to play in Europe's top competition, and an elimination for Lyon could force the French club to sell. Fenerbahce themselves dealt Roma a blow earlier in the transfer window by signing Mason Greenwood ahead of the Italian club. How the upcoming two weeks unfold may prove decisive in shaping Roma's options and the final structure of any deal.

Artem Dovbyk has explained his difficult final season at Roma after joining Bologna on loan with a right of purchase, in a swap deal that saw Santiago Castro move in the opposite direction. The Ukrainian striker told Il Messaggero that he lost confidence under the pressure at the Stadio Olimpico. "Last season was difficult, with injury, but that came later," Dovbyk said. "After pre-season Roma told me to look for minutes elsewhere, but there wasn't time. I was very close to Milan, but there were three days left in the transfer window and it didn't happen. I stayed and tried to convince the manager I deserved more space, but I started the season playing little and they made clear I would be the backup striker. I was preparing for a long season as the main man, and it was hard to accept that wouldn't happen. I played less and less and wasn't enjoying it anymore. Then I got injured." Dovbyk reflected on the unique pressures of playing for Roma compared to his previous spell in Spain. "There are fantastic players there in my position, like Dybala, Soulé, El Shaarawy," he explained. "But playing there is different—there's so much pressure, mistakes aren't an option. Sometimes I'd get just one chance in a match, and if I didn't score it was over. Many managers came and went, and the club changed a lot too, and from the pitch it was hard to understand all that. Several of us couldn't give our best. Even someone like Dybala struggled." At Bologna, Dovbyk feels valued again: "I'm physically fine now and starting a new challenge. At Bologna I felt welcomed by a strong group, a family. I hope soon I'll show my best version here—now I feel I can enjoy football again."