Greenwood convinced by Gasperini; Roma pursue Tresoldi and eye Leao

Roma continue to pursue a left winger after weeks of searching, with Chelsea's Gittens emerging as a target. Gasperini's side want to bring the winger to the capital on loan, but Chelsea are reluctant to part with him on those terms. The situation hinges on Mudryk's future at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea are working on an exit for the Ukrainian forward, who is being directed towards a loan move to Strasbourg despite his preference to remain in the Premier League. If Mudryk leaves, Chelsea will have fewer options on the wing, with Rogers as the main reference point and Gittens as an alternative—precisely what makes it difficult for Roma to negotiate his departure. Roma's search for the right winger has been ongoing for months. Earlier targets including Fofana fell through after the Friedkin Group decided against pursuing the player due to physical condition concerns. With the transfer window closing soon, convincing Chelsea to release Gittens on loan will prove extremely challenging. Roma are trying, but the outcome depends on what happens with Mudryk first.

Jamie Gittens has struggled to replicate his Borussia Dortmund form since joining Chelsea in summer 2025 for more than €50 million. The English winger, who arrived at Dortmund from Manchester City's academy in 2020 at age 16, had emerged as one of Europe's most exciting attacking prospects during the 2024–25 season, scoring 12 goals and providing three assists while leading the Bundesliga with an average of 4.2 successful dribbles per match—well ahead of rivals Jamie Leweling, Michael Olise and Kingsley Coman. He also ranked second across Europe's top five leagues for successful dribbles that season with 76, behind only Lamine Yamal. At Chelsea, however, Gittens has managed only 29 appearances, two goals and six assists, hampered by muscular injuries and rotation policy despite the arrival of manager Xabi Alonso. The 2004-born winger's career at Dortmund was marked by repeated setbacks—a serious ankle ligament injury early in his development and a shoulder injury interrupted his progress before his breakthrough in the 2023–24 Champions League season. Gittens scored in a crucial match against AC Milan at San Siro that helped Dortmund reach the knockout stages. His 2024–25 campaign under Nuri Sahin and then Nico Kovac saw him finally deliver on his enormous potential with clinical finishing and elite dribbling. The article suggests Gian Piero Gasperini and Roma could provide the right environment for him to rediscover that form and reignite his trajectory.

Roma have been offered Oosterwolde, the Fenerbahçe defender who can also operate as a left-back, as the club continues to search for reinforcements with eleven days remaining in the transfer window. The Dutch defender has long been on Roma's radar, but his current status is a concern: he is out with a muscle problem, and Roma will conduct fitness evaluations before making any move. Any deal for Oosterwolde would have to be structured as a loan, matching Roma's approach to other potential signings. Luis Henrique is also being pursued on a temporary basis, though negotiations with Inter remain difficult—the Nerazzurri want to include a €28 million obligation in the agreement, creating distance between the clubs. Moves for Cacciamani and Udogie are considered unlikely.

Robinio Vaz will remain at Roma through the closing of the transfer window, with the club rejecting any sale of the French striker acquired eight months ago from Olympique Marseille for €25 million. A proposed move to Bologna fell through during negotiations involving Castro and Dovbyk. Vaz has used recent friendlies to impress new head coach Gian Piero Gasperini and demonstrate his value to the squad. With the centre-forward role occupied by Malen and Castro, Vaz is being positioned as a creative attacking midfielder, a role that could leverage his distinctive qualities. Gasperini's tactical system offers intriguing prospects for the French talent, who possesses pace and physical strength unmatched by other options in that position—Dybala, Pellegrini, Mora and Soulé. Last season, his intervention proved decisive in a closely fought match against Lecce after an initial adaptation period in Italian football. Vaz suffered a first-degree medial collateral ligament injury to his right knee while training, an injury sustained in unusual circumstances: he explained to the club he was injured while skiing in summer. After overcoming the setback within just over a week, he has recovered fully and is ready to compete for Gasperini's confidence.

AS Roma close their pre-season programme against Borussia Dortmund at Signal Iduna Park on 15 August, with head coach Gian Piero Gasperini using the fixture as a final dress rehearsal before the league campaign begins. The international-standard test comes just days before Roma's competitive debut and offers Gasperini a last chance to assess squad fitness, run through tactical ideas, and resolve outstanding questions ahead of the official start. Roma line up in a 3-4-2-1 formation, with Mile Svilar in goal, a back three of Gianluca Mancini, Evan N'Dicka, and Mario Hermoso, and Neil El Aynaoui, Bryan Cristante, Devyne Rensch, and Matías Soulé across midfield and wing positions. Paulo Dybala and Donyell Malen support Artem Dovbyk in attack. After weeks of preparation at Trigoria and at the summer training base, the clash against the Germans represents a significant opportunity to measure the team's progress and condition. Borussia Dortmund start in a 3-4-1-2 shape under manager Niko Kovac. Following this encounter, Roma's focus shifts entirely to the start of Serie A.

Roma take on Borussia Dortmund in a pre-season friendly at 17:30 today, but the clash is overshadowed by an injury crisis that has left Gian Piero Gasperini with just 23 players available — only 16 outfield players and three goalkeepers. Wesley suffered a right ankle sprain yesterday, joining Niccolò Pisilli (soleus injury) and Lorenzo Pellegrini (returning to group training in mid-September) on the sidelines. The Brazilian's injury mirrors problems sustained during the Welsh training camp. With 15 days remaining in the summer transfer window, Roma's squad position has deteriorated markedly. Eight players have departed — Dovbyk, Ferguson, Angeliño, Tsimikas, Celik, Zaragoza, Venturino and El Shaarawy — while only three signings have arrived: Molina, Castro and Koulierakis. Gasperini highlighted the shortage with a pointed response on competitiveness versus last season: "According to you?", underlining particular weaknesses on the flanks, in attack and midfield, where only three players are currently available. The Dortmund match will provide minutes for Molina while also testing Roma's defensive resilience; the rearguard conceded 11 goals across four pre-season matches against Cannes, Brighton, Cardiff and Newport without a clean sheet.

Roma's transfer activity is entering its most intense phase with 11 days remaining in the summer window. The club is prioritising the signing of a left-back and left winger, with the attacking department potentially reinforced only by a loan deal, possibly with a purchase option. The American ownership's strategy is taking shape through over €100 million invested to strengthen Gasperini's squad while lowering both wage bill and average age. The green line of investment—acquisitions targeting both immediate impact and long-term development—is evident across the squad. Paulo Dybala and Lorenzo Pellegrini have agreed wage cuts on their renewals. Among the notable signings are two strikers and a Greek defender, contributing to an squad now containing 11 players under 25: Ziolkowski (21), Koulierakis (22), Ghilardi (23), Rensch (23), Pisilli (21), Koné and El Aynaoui (25), Mora and Vaz (19), Castro (21) and Soulé (22). These are players ready to perform now and into the future under a manager like Gasperini, who has consistently developed and promoted emerging talent. Potential arrivals of Fofana and Luis Henrique—or even just one of them—would further increase the number of young players in the squad. The possibility of selling academy product Ziolkowski and Matías Soulé remains under consideration as part of the squad restructuring.

Sebino Nela, who played for Roma between 1981 and 1992, has given his assessment of the club's prospects ahead of the new Serie A season. Speaking to Il Tempo, the former defender backed Roma to secure another Champions League place and expressed hope that the Scudetto could arrive in the season leading to the club's centenary. "Bisogna dare continuità conquistando un'altra partecipazione in Champions League. Scudetto? Spero di festeggiarlo quanto prima e sarebbe meraviglioso se accadesse nella stagione che porta al centenario," he said. Nela believes Roma still need reinforcements before the window closes. He identified an attacking winger and a wide midfielder as priorities, arguing that squad depth is essential across a long season with three competitions and five substitutes in use. On the existing squad, he praised Castro and Molina as "acquisti" (signings) and said Koulierakis requires time to adapt to Italian football. He suggested Rodrigo Mora could develop into a world-class talent under Gasperini but lacks the one-on-one ability and goal threat that would complete the attack aux côté Soulé, Dybala and Pellegrini. Nela flagged Koné and El Aynaoui as players with significant room for improvement based on their World Cup performances. Ahead of the opening fixture against Fiorentina, he suggested that while Paratici's summer recruitment has been substantial, Roma's individual quality could prove decisive in the season opener.

Rodrigo Mora has made an immediate impact at Roma since arriving at the Fulvio Bernardini training centre on Wednesday, impressing head coach Gian Piero Gasperini enough to earn consideration for a starting place in Monday's season opener against Fiorentina at the Stadio Olimpico. Gasperini is expected to deploy his customary 3-4-1-2 formation for the league debut, with three attacking midfielders operating behind the front pairing of Paulo Dybala and Donyell Malen. Matías Soulé remains the favourite for the trequartista role, but Mora has risen sharply in the pecking order after impressing in initial training sessions. Bryan Cristante offers an alternative and defensive balance, though the ongoing fitness concerns surrounding Manu Koné and Neil El Aynaoui, combined with Niccolò Pisilli's gradual return, may push Cristante back into midfield proper. The match is expected to draw a large crowd, with the visiting supporters' section now open to Fiorentina fans.