Gasperini meets Friedkin: New sporting director and contract renewals on the agenda

Stephan El Shaarawy's official departure from AS Roma at the end of the season has prompted widespread messages of affection from teammates, former teammates, and supporters. The announcement triggered a wave of heartfelt comments celebrating the winger's contributions to the club. Legendary Roma defender Aldair led the tributes with a particularly moving message. He wrote: "There are players who make noise. And others who earn respect through work, silence, and love for the team. Stephan has been this in recent years—always ready, always correct, always at the service of Roma. A player like that would be useful to any team. Best of luck for everything, lad." Current teammate Paulo Dybala posted simply "Great Faraone," while Koné offered "Respect" and Ziolkowski called him a "Legend." Former teammates also joined in paying tribute. Alessandro Florenzi posted "Uncle," Nicolò Bove wrote "Fara," and Radja Nainggolan shared a longer message: "You're a great ElSha, and you'll see that the last one at home will be a beautiful one, the most beautiful ones... I know what it means, it's tough, but what matters is that it stays with you forever." The messages underscore El Shaarawy's impact at Roma both as a teammate and as a respected figure within the club's culture.

AS Roma will face SS Lazio in the Derby della Capitale on Sunday, 17 May at Stadio Olimpico (kick-off 12:00) in a fixture from the 37th round of Serie A. However, Lazio's organized ultras will not attend the stadium as a protest against club president Lotito's management. The Curva Nord groups confirmed their boycott on local radio, stating they will gather elsewhere to support their team. The absence of visiting Lazio supporters means the stadium will be predominantly yellow and red. Lazio's organized groups sent a direct message to their players ahead of the match, calling for commitment and character. They stated: "It is as if it were a normal derby but lived at Ponte Milvio. Same times, same procedures, we will chain together and urge on Lazio. We will all be together, we will have some fun as is our custom. It will be a day as Laziali. The derby is a match we care about deeply and we also told the lads when they came under the curve after the Coppa Italia final: 'Now you have one last chance to take this season back into your hands. We want to see people with poison in their veins who leave the pitch only if they limp or can't go on'. There must be Lazialità and whoever doesn't feel it should take a step back. We won't be there but we will watch the behaviour of all the players: whoever is not worthy of this shirt must absolutely leave in June to whoever still feels they can fight for Lazio."

AS Roma's ownership, the Friedkin Group, has made multiple attempts in recent days to convince Napoli to sell sporting director Giovanni Manna and bring him to the capital. However, Napoli president De Laurentiis remains unwilling to allow the departure of his sporting director, creating what is described as an almost insurmountable obstacle to the deal. Roma's search for a new sporting director has intensified following the imminent departure of Massara, with Manna identified as the Friedkin Group's preferred candidate. The pursuit of Manna underscores Roma's priority to strengthen their off-field structure. Despite the Friedkin Group's determination and repeated negotiation attempts, Napoli's resolute stance suggests movement on this front remains unlikely in the near term. De Laurentiis has given no indication of willingness to open discussions about Manna's future, and the club shows no signs of budging from their position. Updates on the situation are expected soon, though details on any potential alternative targets or timeline for resolution remain unclear.