Gasperini awaits Friedkin answer on January budget as Roma eye title push

Paulo Dybala remains Gasperini's strongest player at Roma, but the numbers show a side that is becoming less dependent on the Argentine. Without Dybala, Roma scored 23 goals in 7 matches, while with him they have scored 16 in 8. His absence has helped the rise of Matías Soulé, who has become a technical reference point, and of Rodrigo Mora, who already has 4 Serie A goals. With Dybala back, rotations will now be used to preserve him without slowing the progress of the two young players. According to Corriere dello Sport, a plane could be ready to leave Houston for Rome carrying either Ryan Friedkin or his brother Corbin. The November break is seen as the ideal moment for a transfer meeting with D'Amico and Gasperini, who are tasked with planning moves for January. Roma want to complete a squad still considered short, and they are still searching above all for the attacking winger requested by the coach. Roma return to training at Trigoria this afternoon, with attention focused on Dybala and Svilar. Dybala has overcome a calf injury and is targeting the match against Parma, although his return to group training will be gradual. Svilar will undergo fresh checks in the coming hours, which should clear him to return to action. Mancini is also moving towards recovery, while Rensch still has to shake off an adductor injury. Pellegrini faces a longer layoff and is expected only at the start of 2027. Il Guardian has devoted considerable space to Roma and the two Capital clubs, both still unbeaten after eleven matchdays. The English paper highlights the figures of Gasperini's side, who have scored 31 goals in 11 matches, and praises Rodrigo Mora, who has scored in three consecutive matches and has now been called up to the national team. The open question concerns Dybala's next return, with Mora and Soulé finding more and more room alongside Malen.

Roma's priorities have shifted: a backup for Wesley is no longer a priority, and the club are now focused on strengthening their attack ahead of the winter window. The January market opens early this year, on 28 December, between Christmas and New Year, and head coach Gian Piero Gasperini is reportedly hoping for at least two signings, both in attacking roles. The forward line is short of numbers, and reinforcing it is the absolute priority. Lorenzo Pellegrini will not return until 2027, while Paulo Dybala remains a question mark over his physical condition. Gasperini wants two attacking players. Compared with the summer, the priorities have changed. In the final days of the summer window Roma had also looked at a backup for Wesley, but that is no longer a priority. The coach is willing to keep his group of four wide players, largely thanks to the emergence of Lulli. The 2007-born player has quickly become a fixed point for the Giallorossi and sits ahead of Rensch in the pecking order on the right, often putting pressure on Molina. Balde was recently offered for that role, with his agent the same as Mora's, but all talks are currently frozen. Part of the reason is that a proper transfer summit has yet to take place, and part is that Roma will hunt for forwards to strengthen the attacking unit. Endrick is at the top of the list, but Gittens, van Bommel and Leweling are also under close watch. Kvernadze is considered more difficult to land.

Gian Piero Gasperini wants Roma to add two offensive players before the second half of the season, but sporting director Tony D'Amico must work within a strict economic plan: young, high-quality profiles on wages no higher than four million euros. According to Il Messaggero, this is the line that will guide the next Roma transfer market. The club wants to keep building a competitive squad without letting the wage bill grow excessively. The aim is to identify players still in the prime of their development, capable of delivering immediate performance while also representing an investment for the future. That philosophy is tied to the club's financial constraints and the need to keep squad costs under control. The first name remains Endrick of Real Madrid, the Brazilian talent who is seeking more playing time and whom Gasperini regards as a signing of great quality. However, the 20-year-old, although he can be used in several attacking positions, does not perfectly fit the request for a quick, physical left-sided winger capable of taking on his man. For this reason D'Amico is also evaluating other profiles, closer to the characteristics of the orthodox winger the coach has been waiting for since the summer. One of the names indicated by Il Messaggero is Ruben van Bommel, a 22-year-old Dutch player from PSV Eindhoven. The son of former Milan midfielder Mark van Bommel, he is a left winger who is right-footed and stands 1.92 metres tall, combining a strong physical frame with speed and acceleration. He likes to start wide, take on defenders one-on-one and cut inside to shoot, but he can also attack the space behind the defence and make runs into the box. He grew up as a footballer at MVV Maastricht and AZ Alkmaar, returned to PSV in the summer of 2025 and is under contract until 2030. For physical and technical characteristics, he is one of the profiles closest to the blueprint drawn up by Gasperini. The other candidate is an old acquaintance of the Roma market: Jamie Leweling, 25, a German winger at Stuttgart. Standing 1.85 metres, he is a right-footed attacker who can be deployed on either flank. His main qualities are power in his running, sudden bursts in progression and the ability to attack the space behind defenders. Compared with Van Bommel he is a more experienced player, already accustomed to the rhythms of the Bundesliga and endowed with considerable intensity in both phases of play. Leweling came very close to joining Roma in the final hours of the summer market. D'Amico had reached an agreement in principle with Stuttgart for a deal worth around 35 million euros, but the transfer did not materialise amid difficulties over the agreement with the player and the little time remaining. Now the German could return to the market on more favourable terms. According to the latest rumours from Germany, Stuttgart would be willing to consider a sale around 30 million after a less brilliant start to the season than expected. The problem, however, does not concern only the cost of the transfer fees. Roma want to maintain a precise salary ceiling, avoiding commitments to overly burdensome contracts. The four million euro threshold thus becomes one of the fundamental criteria in choosing targets. For a player like Van Bommel, still young and with significant room for growth, the operation would make sense as a long-term investment. Leweling, by contrast, would offer a more mature profile already known to the Roma management. It also remains to be settled which formulas the respective clubs will accept. D'Amico would prefer loan deals with an option to buy, possibly convertible into an obligation under certain conditions, to spread the financial impact of the investments. That solution could prove more complicated especially in the case of Stuttgart, which is oriented towards monetising a possible departure of its winger. Gasperini's list of requests is therefore increasingly defined: one quality attacker and one winger capable of adding pace, depth and physical strength to the build-up. Endrick remains the most fascinating name, while Van Bommel and Leweling represent two of the alternatives closest to the winger blueprint Roma are seeking. D'Amico must find the right balance between the coach's ambitions, the opportunities offered by the market and the economic limits set by the club. January must bring quality, but without compromising the sustainability of the project.