Roma considers loan swap with Fiorentina: Piccoli in, Dovbyk out

AS Roma's sporting director Massara is preparing to leave the club, with contacts reportedly underway with Marseille. This move would follow the recent departure of former manager Claudio Ranieri, marking another significant administrative overhaul under Friedkin Group ownership at Trigoria. The changes signal continued restructuring at the club leadership level, though details of the timeline and negotiations remain unclear.

Ricky Massara appears poised to depart AS Roma after just one season following his return to the club. His departure comes in the wake of Claudio Ranieri's exit, and strained relations with head coach Gian Piero Gasperini have reportedly accelerated the timeline. Marseille has now entered preliminary discussions with Massara regarding a directorial position, placing him on their shortlist of sporting director candidates. Roma's hierarchy, led by the Friedkin Group and Gasperini, are actively moving to find a replacement. Giovanni Manna, currently sporting director at Napoli, is reportedly the primary target on Roma's radar, though other candidates are also under consideration. The club aims to secure a successor soon. Massara himself is exploring options elsewhere, aware that his time in the capital is drawing to a close. Details regarding the precise timeline or the exact nature of Marseille's interest remain unclear. Roma's search for a new sporting director represents a significant administrative reshuffle as the club looks to align its football operations with Gasperini's vision following his recent appointment.

Italian rapper and Roma fan Gemitaiz discussed the club's recent developments in an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport podcast, touching on the departures of Ranieri and Gasperini, as well as the future of Paulo Dybala. Gemitaiz, who attended Roma's match against Fiorentina, expressed his frustration with Dybala's situation at the club. Speaking about the Argentine forward, he said: "Dybala is fracico [a Roman dialect term for unreliable/injury-prone], as we say in Rome, but it is a pleasure to see him play. I hope he leaves; he takes too much money and never plays." On Ranieri's recent exit from the club, Gemitaiz expressed sympathy for the former manager while backing the decision to move forward with Gasperini. He stated: "I'm sorry, he's a symbol of Roma. He wanted to retire for years; I don't think sacking Gasperini was the solution. No Roma fan isn't on Ranieri's side; I'm grateful to him, but if things aren't working... He's said many times he wanted to stop; it's more natural and spontaneous for him to leave. Gasperini is a great coach; we've been making the same points for a long time, let's give him a chance to start the project." Gemitaiz also spoke fondly of Francesco Totti, expressing his childhood admiration for the club's legendary number 10 and his desire to thank him if they met.

Transfermarkt compiled a special top 11 list of Serie A's most costly players based on salary divided by minutes played during the 2024–25 season. Roma features three players in this unflattering ranking: Bryan Zaragoza, Paulo Dybala, and Artem Dovbyk. Zaragoza leads Roma's contingent at 23,148 euros per minute despite playing only 135 minutes. Dovbyk, hampered by injuries, earned 16,667 euros per minute across 384 minutes of action, while Dybala accumulated 11,857 euros per minute over 1,088 minutes played. The metric highlights the financial pressure Roma faces when squad performance falls short of investment. The club is not alone in this struggle; Inter features several expensive fringe players including Diouf, Frattesi, De Vrij, and Darmian with similarly high per-minute costs. Lazio's Hysaj also appears in the analysis with approximately 21,000 euros per minute. Juventus's Vlahovic dominates the entire list, commanding 29,960 euros per minute across 741 minutes played.

Roma are actively targeting forwards Scamacca and Piccoli in the transfer market, with a possible swap deal involving Dovbyk reportedly under consideration. The club is also hunting for a new sporting director, with Ausilio among those scouted for the position. Details of specific negotiations remain unclear, but the moves suggest Roma's intent to reshape their attacking options and management structure in the coming transfer window.

Donyell Malen will spearhead Roma's attack in Sunday's match at Parma after completing full training with the squad, following a scheduled personal session the previous day. Lorenzo Pellegrini and Zaragoza have worked separately and are expected to miss the fixture. Roma's medical staff faces a busy week as the club pursues three crucial matches in hopes that rivals slip up. Off the pitch, Roma is actively pursuing a new sporting director to replace Massara. Giovanni Manna, currently at Napoli, is the frontrunner for the role, alongside targets Tony D'Amico and Daniele Pradè, who remains without a club following his departure from Fiorentina. Piero Ausilio of Inter rejected an approach. Manna's former president at Lugano, Renzetti, suggested the director is flattered by Roma's interest and receives regular contact from coach Gasperini, though he believes Manna will remain at Napoli if given a salary increase: "He is flattered and Gasp phones him every other day. But I don't think he wants to leave Napoli—with an increase he would stay there." In transfer activity, Roma has reopened interest in Gianluca Scamacca and is exploring a potential swap involving forward Dovbyk and Fiorentina's Piccoli. Wing targets include Bernabei and Culbreath.