Dybala contract in limbo as Roma eye centenario boost

Porto's finance director has confirmed a clause in the Rodrigo Mora deal that could cost Roma well over the initial €25 million. José Pedro Pereira da Costa said the Portuguese club holds an option to collect another €25 million. Porto keep 50% of Mora's future resale, but can also ask Roma to buy that stake. The revelation puts the midfielder's future back in the spotlight. Away from the transfer detail, Repubblica reports that Gasperini would like to rebuild a more direct relationship with Dan and Ryan Friedkin. That contact has become less frequent since the arrival of chief executive John Galantic. The coach stresses there is no rift with the club, but wants to share strategy more closely ahead of the January window. Gasperini regards the owners' backing as essential to the team's progress. Elsewhere, Ekrem Konur reports that Roma made a €25 million offer for Brazilian winger Samuel Lino, which Flamengo rejected. The 1999-born player is valued for his pace and ability to beat opponents, but the Brazilian club will not discount him. Juventus, Napoli and several English clubs are also tracking him. Bild reports that Stuttgart would sell Leweling for €30 million, down from the €35 million combined offer Roma made in August. Leweling has two goals and one assist in 14 appearances. The clubs have had no new contact for now. Roma's January plans are also taking shape. An offensive winger remains the priority, though Gasperini may also seek a midfielder. Gittens, Wiafe, Bakola and Højbjerg are among the targets. Financial constraints point towards loan deals with an obligation to buy, on the model of Malen. No deal has been agreed yet. Former Roma player Antonio Cassano praised Mora on Viva El Futbol: "È un giocatore meraviglioso, stratosferico". He predicted Mora would go on to play for even bigger clubs. Cassano also criticised the frequent substitutions made by Gasperini, while acknowledging the growth of the 19-year-old. Mora has scored in each of the last three league matches and has also been called up to the senior Portugal squad. His output is making him one of the key figures in Gasperini's Roma, although his minutes are still being managed carefully. Endrick, the Real Madrid forward, has said: "Voglio solo giocare, essere felice e aiutare i miei compagni", adding that he does not know what will happen in January. D'Amico is ready to consider a loan, but Mourinho continues to oppose the departure of the 20-year-old.

Diego Tavano, agent of Edoardo Bove and others, has spoken about the situation of Slim Bouaskar, the 2009-born goalkeeper whom The Guardian included among the best emerging talents in world football. Speaking to journalist Eleonora Trotta, Tavano said his client's start to the season with Roma has struggled to take off, with just 2 appearances for the Primavera side so far. Bouaskar has also been called up to the senior Tunisia national team, despite the lack of game time at club level. Tavano said Bouaskar has played in every age group for Tunisia and that the senior call-up has now arrived. "Fa piacere che in tanti lo seguano e lo conoscano. Sicuramente lo hanno visto cimentarsi anche in nazionale tunisina, dove ha vestito la maglia di tutte le categorie. Adesso è arrivata anche la convocazione con la nazionale maggiore. Sono scelte tecniche e noi le rispettiamo. Ci resta un anno e mezzo di contratto. È un peccato, perché il suo percorso era stato netto. Ha sempre giocato in tutti i campionati. L'anno scorso sotto età ha giocato nell'Under 18 e ha permesso alla squadra di mister Scala di ottenere ottimi risultati. Sicuramente ci aspettavamo che con la promozione di mister Scala in Primavera, ci fosse continuità. Al momento non è così, ne prendiamo atto. Il ragazzo continua ad allenarsi bene e a fare tutto quello che deve fare. Ripeto, ci resta un anno e mezzo di contratto". On interest from other clubs, Tavano said it is mostly based on what scouts have seen with Roma and Tunisia. "Sicuramente, anche perché il Guardian è uno dei giornali più importanti in Europa, ma non credo sia questo a fare la differenza. Penso che, se stanno prendendo informazioni su di lui, sia soprattutto per quello che hanno visto con la Roma e con la Nazionale. Noi ripartiamo da quello. Il contratto non è lungo, ma non mancherà l'occasione di parlare con la Roma. Ripeto, sicuramente mi dispiace perché oggi i giovani dovrebbero avere più spazio e ci dovrebbero essere persone con più coraggio. Lo immaginavo già stabilmente nel giro della prima squadra e sicuramente a giocare in Primavera". Asked whether Roma's recent struggles have denied him a major shop window, Tavano spoke about the goalkeeping role in general. "Ho avuto a che fare con tanti portieri, ne ho gestiti tanti. È un ruolo un po' particolare. In questo momento, purtroppo siamo l'incudine. Speriamo che un giorno saremo il martello e che possa giocare per un club importante. Il sogno è quello di giocare nella Roma, visto che è cresciuto qui".

Roma's summer recruits have been involved in 36.5% of the club's goals this season, with 15 of the team's 41 strikes involving one of them. Gian Piero Gasperini has relied heavily on seven players who were not part of the squad in the last match of the previous campaign: Nahuel Molina, Marten de Roon, Leonardo Balerdi, Rodrigo Mora, Emanuele Lulli, Santiago Castro and Konstantinos Koulierakis. Lulli came up from the Primavera. Molina has been the most-used player, with 751 minutes, one goal and two assists. He is followed by De Roon (732 minutes), Balerdi (639), Mora (595), Lulli (546), Castro (370) and Koulierakis (225). Gasperini has given minutes to every summer arrival, including the Primavera graduate, showing confidence in the quality of the new players. Mora has been the most productive, with four goals and two assists. His recent form, with a sharp improvement in the latest matches, has eased doubts about the investment made in the summer, reported at €25 million plus 50% of a future resale, for a valuation of €50 million. Across all competitions, the new players have taken part in 15 of Roma's 41 goals. By comparison, at the same stage of last season, Massara's summer signings from that campaign had contributed to just three goals: Wesley with one goal, Ferguson with one assist and Tsimikas with one assist.

Porto's chief financial officer, José Pedro Pereira da Costa, has laid out the financial terms of Rodrigo Mora's transfer to Roma, valuing the deal at €50 million for Porto. Speaking to the ECO portal, he said: "Overall, in the 2026/27 summer we invested 37 million euros, compared with around 110 million the previous summer. And we made sales worth 78 million euros, including Rodrigo Mora for 50 million." The deal has one of the most complicated structures in recent Serie A seasons. Roma paid €25 million for the Portuguese but left Porto with 50% of any future resale. Roma can reduce that percentage, eventually to zero, by paying a further €25 million over the next two years. Once that period ends, Porto can also ask Roma to reduce some or all of the remaining percentage. In short, the more Roma pay, the smaller Porto's share of any future sale will be. Mora's form has made the arrangement a talking point, with the 2007-born midfielder scoring against Sassuolo, his third consecutive Serie A goal, and his place in the side no longer in doubt. Da Costa said: "It is 25 million euros for 50%, but we have an option that depends solely on our will. For us, it is a 50 million euro operation." Those discussions are considered premature for now. Mora is focused on the pitch and, after winning over Roma, has done the same with Portugal, who have called him up for the coming international commitments. Gasperini, meanwhile, is enjoying the breakthrough and already considering how to fit Mora alongside Paulo Dybala, who is close to returning.

Several Roma-focused radio pundits discussed the club's January transfer options, the Endrick situation and the form of Paulo Dybala and Matías Soulé in the latest edition of the On Air roundup from Rome's radio stations. Gianluca Piacentini of Rete Sport suggested that Endrick would not join Roma permanently, because he hopes to establish himself at Real Madrid, but that a loan of 18 months could be a good solution. He said Roma could then invest in Kvernadze, who is already performing well in Italy and costs relatively little, as he has a 4 million euro release clause. Piacentini said Frosinone would like to renew his contract, but if he already has an agreement with another club he will not renew. "If it were Roma, you turn up with 10-12 million in January and you take both of them," Piacentini said. He added: "On Pellegrini, and perhaps also on Dybala, you cannot rely, and that is why you need two." Daniele Lo Monaco of Radio Romanista said Endrick could arrive on loan, and that Roma could keep control of the player unless that control were well paid for and taken back by Real Madrid, as happened with Nico Paz. He gave an example in which Roma would take him on loan and buy him at 60 million if they valued him, with Real Madrid having to pay 80 million to take him back. Asked whether such a deal was feasible, Lo Monaco said: "At this moment there is nothing." He stated that Endrick's agents know Roma's intentions perfectly well, that there were contacts before the Roma-Real match, and that the giallorossi had reiterated their interest. He said he understood the player would not go to Milan. "If he leaves Real, I can give a percentage: 60-70% that he ends up at Roma," Lo Monaco said. Sandro Sabatini of Radio Radio named Malen, Cristante and, as a surprise, Dybala as the three most important players at Roma, saying Dybala had been phenomenal in the matches he played even though he is currently injured. He said he had thought Soulé was not on Dybala's level, but that Soulé had taken advantage of Dybala's absence and grown enormously. "The club tried to sell him all summer without succeeding, first because Soulé and Dybala cannot play together," Sabatini said. He added: "When Dybala is there, Soulé suffers a psychological inferiority. Soulé plays very well when Dybala is unavailable." Roberto Pruzzo of Radio Radio named Hermoso, Soulé and Malen as the three most important players so far, and said Marten de Roon had been a fundamental signing, while noting that Rodrigo Mora is showing he deserves a starting place in certain matches. He said he did not know whether the club had a trick up its sleeve to sign a striker who could start. "With these players you can go all the way, but avoiding injuries will be decisive," Pruzzo said. Ilario Di Giovambattista of Radio Radio said that with Malen Roma had made one of the best deals of the last 30 years, having paid 25 million, a figure that now looks ridiculous. He said Malen had become the most decisive striker, more so than Lautaro, and that Roma had made an extraordinary signing. David Rossi of Rete Sport and Lorenzo Pes of Tele Radio Stereo discussed the club's situation off the pitch. Pes said Gasperini had had no contact with the Friedkins in recent months, but that Galantic had been named CEO for precisely this purpose. He said Roma would face the consequences of the UEFA ruling and the settlement agreement, and that by the end of November the club would know what it faced, which would shape the January market. Alessio Nardo of Tele Radio Stereo said it was not known how much the Friedkins would allow the club to invest and that January was usually a month for loans. He added that the January market must be attacked with clear ideas about what the squad needs to challenge Inter, "until the last matchday of the league."

Roma's radio pundits have focused on the club's transfer plans, the expected UEFA fine and the Dybala-Soulé pairing. Francesco Balzani of Teleradiostereo said Endrick is the club's main target, ahead of Gittens and others. "Right now all the attention is on Endrick, who is the player who most convinces Gasperini. Roma are trying again and will try again. I hope they succeed, because Endrick inserted into this squad can be the extra turbo to reach the Scudetto." Balzani also addressed the UEFA case. He said UEFA sources had indicated a decision was expected by November, and that Roma would learn the outcome unofficially at the end of the hearing. "I think they have more or less understood what the amount will be. They will probably know a strong fine is coming, between 10 and 15 million." Lorenzo Pes of Tele Radio Stereo said Gasperini has had no contact with the Friedkins in recent months, but that Galantic was named CEO precisely for that purpose. He said D'Amico has not been idle and that there is likely a list or an investment plan, but that operational detail is still missing. The UEFA ruling, he added, adds an asterisk: Roma will have to deal with the settlement agreement. "By the end of November Roma will know what they are going to face, and this will shift the focus to the January market." Roberto Pruzzo of Radio Radio Mattino said: "De Roon has been a fundamental acquisition in midfield. I can't say whether Roma have an ace up their sleeve for a signing who could become a starter at certain moments. If they don't, they will try to go all the way with this squad." He added: "At some point in the season the injury situation will be decisive, especially if Roma are still in the hunt in the Champions League." Sandro Sabatini, also of Radio Radio Mattino, was critical of the forward pairing. "In my view Dybala and Soulé cannot play together. The impression is that they need two balls. When Dybala is available, Soulé still seems psychologically subservient. Roma tried to sell him all summer without succeeding, first because Soulé and Dybala cannot play together." Balzani also handed out his awards for the first part of the season. He chose Hermoso as the player of the season so far, describing him as fundamental to Gasperini, and named Soulé and Malen as the other two candidates. Cristante won his award as best supporting player. Balzani said Mora could become a star in Serie A, but said he expects more from Castro.