Dybala awaits Roma and the Friedkins as external offers fail to materialise

Roma sporting director D'Amico is already working on the winter transfer window and is reportedly interested in Club Brugge winger Carlos Forbs, with the aim of giving Gian Piero Gasperini a wide player. The Belgian outlet Voetbalnieuws reports that the Giallorossi are among the clubs interested in the 2004-born forward, who already sits alongside the names of Bynoe-Gittens and Endrick on Roma's list. Forbs has taken part in 14 appearances in the Belgian league and the Champions League, scoring 5 goals and providing 8 assists. Manchester United, Arsenal, Tottenham and Fiorentina are also interested in the winger. D'Amico could try to get ahead of the competition by moving in the January window, although it is considered difficult for the player to leave in the middle of the season. In the summer, however, his departure appears almost certain.

AS Roma have extended the contract of 2010-born defender Lorenzo Dattilo, according to SkySport, keeping the youngster at the club for the foreseeable future. Dattilo had been at the centre of several transfer rumours, with Atletico Madrid having tried to take him away from Trigoria over the summer. Dattilo, however, was clear that renewing with Roma was his priority. He has now signed a three-year contract, which for the time being puts off any possible departure. Dattilo is part of the youth international set-up and a few months ago was crowned European Under-17 champion. The deal reflects Roma's commitment to their academy talent, with the club now securing one of its promising young players on a long-term basis while Atletico's interest has been kept at bay.

Roma have secured one of the most promising talents in their youth sector, with left-back Lorenzo Dattilo, born in 2010, signing a three-year contract with the Giallorossi. The move sees the club beat the competition from several European sides, above all Atletico Madrid. According to Gianluca Di Marzio, the Spanish club were ready to invest in the 16-year-old during the summer transfer window, but Dattilo had always made clear he wanted to continue his journey in the capital. The signing closes speculation over his future and confirms the mutual trust between the player and Roma. Dattilo is considered one of the most interesting prospects in the Roma academy. Last summer he was crowned European champion with Italy's Under-17 side, starting despite being under age, a prestigious result that drew the attention of many international scouts. This season the young full-back has already moved up to the Under-18 team, while continuing to shine with Roma's Under-17s, where he has scored one goal and provided one assist in the league. The new three-year contract is therefore an important recognition of his development and another sign of the club's intention to nurture its talent. Roma avoid the risk of losing another gem from their academy, resisting the interest of a prestigious club such as Atletico Madrid. Dattilo remains at Trigoria, where he can continue his development in the yellow and red. Source: Gianluca Di Marzio

Roma have refused to release Nahuel Molina for Argentina's upcoming friendlies, keeping the defender at Trigoria despite a reduction in his FIFA suspension. The club has informed the Argentine federation (AFA) that it will not authorise the intercontinental trip. According to Il Messaggero, FIFA partially accepted the AFA's appeal and cut Molina's ban from seven matchdays to four. That ruling would have allowed the full-back to take part in one of the two friendlies against Uruguay and Costa Rica. The problem was timing: Argentina's call-up arrived only on Saturday, while Roma were playing Sassuolo at the Olimpico. Roma judged the request too late and will keep Molina in the capital, where he will train under Gian Piero Gasperini during the break rather than make a long trip for, at most, one match. It is not the first time Roma have blocked a departure of this kind. In September the club denied Molina and Paulo Dybala permission to play in the match organised for Lionel Messi's farewell to the national team, citing sporting and logistical reasons. This time, however, the decisive factor was the AFA's late communication. Molina will remain available to Gasperini to prepare for the resumption of Serie A, while Matías Soulé, Leonardo Balerdi and Santiago Castro will travel to join Argentina as scheduled.

Roma head into the international break with a near-perfect run to protect, and Gian Piero Gasperini has used a demanding stretch of nine matches in 27 days to rotate his squad. Gasperini admitted the schedule had been tough but said it had allowed him to use the whole squad: "We had tough clashes like Como, Napoli, Manchester and Real Madrid. The management was not a problem, and this allowed us to rotate the whole squad." During that intense spell, players who had been on the fringes stepped forward. Rodrigo Mora took advantage of Paulo Dybala's extended absence to win a key role, scoring in three consecutive matches. De Roon showed why Gasperini wanted him in the capital, while Ghilardi, Gollini and Vásquez also got their chances. Gasperini gave everyone a run-out, partly out of necessity. Both the coach and D'Amico have acknowledged that the squad is thin, and with a few injuries it risks becoming very thin indeed. The debate over whether the break is a blessing may therefore be answered by the players Roma get back when the league resumes. Roma are among the clubs that could benefit most from the pause. Their injuries have required fairly long recovery periods, but few players have been affected. The problem is that nearly all of them are key figures in the Giallorossi set-up. Chief among them is Mile Svilar, who has been out since 10 October and has kept training both at Trigoria and in individual sessions with a fitness coach, without managing to speed up his recovery. Tests carried out about ten days ago led the club and the goalkeeper to choose caution. The aim is for him to return against Parma, and then reach peak condition for the highly delicate trip to Paris. Dybala is on the same timetable. The calf injury he suffered against Real Madrid kept him out longer than expected, but the Argentine is now ready to return and make a difference, perhaps also finding a goal he has not scored since 18 January. Manu Koné has already returned, playing 66 excellent minutes against Sassuolo. The Frenchman was not called up by his national team and will use these days to regain his best condition. He will have an extra incentive compared with his team-mates: to impress at the Parc des Princes, a stadium a few kilometres from the home where he grew up. Gasperini hopes to get back the Roma of the "first lines", because he refuses to talk about starters. The coach remains torn about the break: "It interrupts the league again, although this time only for a week. I like international matches when they play for something important. For friendlies or matches of little consequence, it is a pity to lose so many players." Roma face another demanding run: seven matches in 29 days, during which the Giallorossi will play a major part of their season. The fixtures include the already mentioned trip to Paris Saint-Germain, the home match against Sporting, the game against Juventus and, above all, the derby against Lazio on 13 December. The next month will be crucial in measuring Roma's real ambitions, with the January transfer window expected to bring fresh impetus.

Paulo Dybala is reportedly attracting strong interest from two MLS clubs, Inter Miami and New York City, according to Piero Torri of Romasport.eu. The international break is expected to give Roma the chance to recover the Argentine, who has been sidelined by injury for almost a month. Dybala signed a one-year contract renewal over the summer, but this could be his final season in yellow and red given his age, his recurring physical problems and the club's wish to make the squad younger still. Inter Miami, where Lionel Messi plays and whom Dybala won the 2022 World Cup alongside, are said to have already begun initial contacts with the player's entourage, with club founder and co-owner David Beckham leading the approach. New York City, owned by the group that also runs Manchester City, have also made an approach, and talks with both sides are ongoing. The MLS season starts in March, so a move could theoretically happen in the January window. However, Roma and Gasperini are reportedly unwilling to let such an important player go midway through the season, making that scenario very difficult.