Koné stops in Spain before returning to Roma, visits his former club Toulouse

Matías Soulé, Leonardo Balerdi and Santiago Castro have linked up with Argentina's national team for a training camp during the international break. All three Roma players were called up by head coach Scaloni for friendlies against Bolivia, Burkina Faso and Benin. Paulo Dybala and Nahuel Molina, also Roma squad members, were not selected and will continue working at Trigoria during the international pause. Castro expressed his delight at the call-up on social media, writing: "Happy for all of this." Soulé, who returns to the Selección after a lengthy absence, posted early training footage with the caption: "Nothing better than being here."

Roma are monitoring Darryl Bakola, a 19-year-old Sassuolo midfielder, with sporting director Tony D'Amico studying the prospect for a possible move in January or next summer. The French midfielder, born in Clichy on 30 November 2007, has begun to establish himself in Serie A after signing with Sassuolo in February. Roma's interest is independent of any potential departure by Manu Koné; instead, Bakola is being observed for his attributes and growth potential as a prospect in his own right. Bakola plays as a right-sided midfielder with a pronounced attacking instinct. He developed through academies at Asnières, Racing Club de France and Red Star before joining Marseille's youth system, where he made his senior debut. The profile fits Roma's recent transfer strategy of identifying young players already capable of competing at the highest level while retaining significant room for development and improvement. This season has brought early evidence of Sassuolo's confidence in him. He has made four Serie A appearances to date, three of them from the start, accumulating 297 minutes and recording one assist. Bakola combines technical ability, quality ball-carrying and the capacity to support attacking play, offering flexibility across multiple midfield positions.

Lorenzo Pellegrini will use the international break to complete his recovery and return to full fitness ahead of Roma's fixture against Como. Pellegrini was recalled to the squad for the Torino match and can become a fresh asset for Gasperini's group as he regains full sharpness. Roma continue to monitor young midfield prospects and are following Darryl Bakola, a French player born in 2007 from Sassuolo. The club will not be seeking him as a direct replacement for Manu Koné, who has demonstrated his importance to Gasperini's system in recent matches, including against Inter. Without Koné, Roma are visibly weakened in midfield.