Greenwood deal collapses over wage demands as Roma holds firm

Sunderland have made preliminary enquiries about Matías Soulé, though the Premier League club's approach remains at an exploratory stage focused on understanding the overall cost of any potential deal. Roma's hierarchy has been actively seeking buyers for the Argentine attacking midfielder for financial reasons. Roma had previously explored sales for Soulé in recent weeks, with contact made to Borussia Dortmund and several Saudi Arabian clubs during June. However, none of those approaches developed into concrete offers, leaving the young talent's future unresolved. The Sunderland interest is the latest development in what has become a monitored situation for the club's management.

Roma have abandoned their pursuit of Mason Greenwood, who is on the verge of joining Fenerbahçe. The player's wage demands exceeded Roma's offer of nearly €5 million, prompting the club to establish a strict salary ceiling to maintain squad harmony. Sporting director D'Amico is now turning his attention to alternative targets, with Dan Ndoye from Nottingham Forest among the options under consideration, alongside other names including Garnacho. Roma expect to have no new faces at Trigoria by 13 July. Meanwhile, negotiations over Lorenzo Pellegrini's contract renewal are progressing. A white smoke finish is anticipated by the weekend, with further meetings between D'Amico and Pellegrini's agent scheduled in the coming days. The club remains active on the renewal front as it reshapes its summer recruitment strategy.

Lorenzo Pellegrini is set to sign a contract renewal with Roma, with the final details nearly resolved between the club and the captain's agent. The 1996-born midfielder will attend Monday morning's pre-season gathering at Trigoria under head coach Gian Piero Gasperini, who has pushed strongly for his retention. New sporting director Tony D'Amico has spent days finalising the remaining terms following a face-to-face meeting last week, with the gap between the club's offer and the player's demands now minimal. A deal is expected to be completed by the weekend. Pellegrini's renewal represents a significant moment in Roma's planning. The captain began his journey at the club in the youth academy in 2005, making this contract signature a historic one for the giallorossi. His deal is the final outstanding negotiation among three players whose contracts expired on 30 June: Paulo Dybala and Zeki Çelik have already agreed terms with the club, pending only official announcements. Head coach Gasperini's specific requests for player confirmations will form the foundation of Roma's transfer strategy as the club awaits the arrival of new signings.

Roman radio stations have hosted widespread debate over AS Roma's pursuit of Manchester United winger Mason Greenwood, with prominent voices questioning whether the club can justify the financial outlay. Nando Orsi said on Radio Radio: "Can you spend 100 million between transfer fee and salary for Greenwood? With 100 million I think you can find someone like Greenwood anywhere in the world." Antonio Felici on Tele Radio Stereo expressed growing scepticism, describing the negotiations as "another telenovela" and comparing it to cycles of frustrating transfer sagas that have plagued the club repeatedly. Gasperini's stated desire for Greenwood has dominated the discourse, with commentators divided on whether his influence should determine spending priorities. Paolo Marcacci cautioned that Roma must avoid being held hostage by the player's father and his wage demands, suggesting instead a potential move for Raphael Leao if available at reasonable cost. Roberto Pruzzo, a Roma legend, acknowledged Greenwood's quality and his potential to add goals alongside Donyell Malen, but argued the club must maintain multiple transfer targets rather than fixate on one player. Luigi Ferrajolo advocated maintaining dignity in negotiations, recommending Roma seek an alternative of similar quality if Greenwood cannot be secured efficiently. Marco Juric noted the deal's expense and stated Roma would not move above 5 million per year in wages. The debate underscores tension between head coach ambition and financial prudence as the transfer window develops.

Roma radio pundits weighed in on the club's transfer activity and managerial direction, with debate centring on Mason Greenwood's protracted move and Gian Piero Gasperini's influence over recruitment. Torri said on Radio Manà Manà Sport: "With those words Gasperini has reassured me about Roma; evidently what needs to be done in the market will be done. Better like that, but you cannot help noticing the vast difference between the furious Gasperini of 2025 and the smiling one of July 2026." Pruzzo on Radio Radio defended the pursuit of Greenwood as a strategic fit, saying the forward "is a strong player who is trying together with his entourage and Marseille to secure the best agreement. The idea remains that Gasperini wants this player strongly—one who could add many goals alongside Malen and could allow you to play a different campaign." Other analysts expressed caution about the cost involved. Orsi questioned the scale of investment, asking whether Roma should spend 100 million euros (between transfer fee and wages) on Greenwood when the same resources could secure comparable talent elsewhere. Corsi criticised the handling of negotiations, saying Roma could have signed Greenwood earlier by offering 4–5 million euros in wages and paying a smaller fee to Marseille, contrasting the club's approach unfavourably with how AC Milan secured reinforcements under Amorim.

Paulo Dybala is set to extend his contract with Roma until 2027 under new head coach Gian Piero Gasperini. The Argentine forward plans to revolutionise his training approach during the forthcoming season to achieve the physical consistency that has eluded him, while preserving his technical quality for important Champions League nights. Gasperini's demanding summer work programme is not for everyone, and skipping it risks creating an athletic gap with the rest of the squad—a risk Dybala is determined to avoid. He intends to push hard from the first day of pre-season training at Trigoria to be ready to partner Donyell Malen in Roma's attacking setup. The club is moving to secure other key pillars of the squad, with contract renewals for captain Lorenzo Pellegrini and Zeki Çelik close to completion. According to reports, significant progress has been made in recent hours on Pellegrini's deal. Sport director Tony D'Amico is expected to hold one final meeting with Pellegrini's representatives to seal the agreement, though optimism is high at Trigoria that the captain's renewal will be confirmed and resolve the club's outstanding contract issues.

Roma recorded a strong start to their new campaign with a subscription surge, shifting 11,000 season tickets on the opening day of sales. The Friedkin Group is targeting 40,000 total subscriptions before closing the window to reserve match-day allocations for individual fixtures throughout the season. Preparations are underway at Trigoria under head coach Gian Piero Gasperini ahead of the 2024–25 campaign. The squad will begin pre-season testing on Thursday 16 July against Sorianese, a regional competition side, followed by fixtures against the Primavera on 19 July and Trastevere on 23 July. Winger Wesley has cut short his holiday to return early to Rome and accelerate his recovery from the injury that ruled him out of the World Cup. The Brazilian has already trained at Trigoria to complete his rehabilitation and aims to be fully available from the earliest days of the pre-season programme, positioning himself as a key player in Gasperini's newly configured squad.

Roma sold 11,000 season tickets on the first day of their subscription campaign. The club aims to reach 40,000 total before stopping sales, deliberately holding back places to sell throughout the season. The first pre-season friendly takes place on Thursday 16 July, when Mancini and the squad face Sorianese, a side competing in the Lazio regional Eccellenza division. Further friendlies against Primavera and Trastevere are scheduled for 19 and 23 July respectively. Wesley has cut short his summer break and returned to Rome, eager to begin the new campaign under head coach Gasperini. The defender has been recovering from an injury that kept him out of the World Cup and trained at Trigoria yesterday. He will be available from the earliest days of pre-season. With 11,000 tickets sold on day one, Roma's strategy reflects confidence in demand while maintaining commercial flexibility for sales later in the year.

Wesley is working at Trigoria to build fitness ahead of Gian Piero Gasperini's arrival as head coach, recovering from a injury sustained before the World Cup. Roma's squad preparation intensifies as the pre-season gathering approaches. Paulo Dybala spoke publicly about Budapest, his arrival at Roma, and Mourinho, while Paredes addressed questions about his future at the club. The club has launched season ticket sales for the 2026–27 campaign. France face Marocco tomorrow.