Roma's transfer deadline day ended without securing the wide forward Gasperini wanted, as the Leweling deal collapsed in the final hours despite an improved offer. The club raised 30 million euros plus bonuses to Stuttgart but failed to complete the move. Gittens and Luiz Henrique had remained on Roma's radar throughout the day, but Chelsea's refusal to loan the English winger left those avenues closed. Malick Fofana's move to Sunderland for 30 million euros plus bonuses also ruled out a final option, while the club was unable to persuade Cabal, the Colombian defender at Juventus, to join despite interest from Atalanta and Bologna as well.
The day's most significant development came in midfield. Chelsea made a formal push for Manu Koné after deciding to sell Enzo Fernandez, opening with a 60 million euro bid for the Roma midfielder. The Blues explored the possibility of including Gittens on a free loan as part of the package, and began drawing up plans to replace Koné with alternatives including Fofana, Hojbjerg and Keita. However, Gasperini's opposition to the sale proved decisive—the manager refused to allow Koné's departure, and the Friedkin Group backed his stance, building what the club described as a wall against Chelsea's advances. The midfielder remained a Roma player as the window closed.
Outgoings dominated the final hours. Robinio Vaz completed his move to Hull City on a loan deal worth two million euros, with a 30 million euro right of purchase included. Neil El Aynaoui's transfer to RB Leipzig had appeared settled but turned uncertain late in the window, with FootMercato reporting his future could now remain in Rome rather than in Germany. Mannini secured a loan move to Benevento with a purchase option, while Nardin moved to Pescara. West Ham had requested information about Salah-Eddine on loan, with Roma's response still awaited.
The window closed at 20:00 on 1 September with Leweling remaining in Germany and no wide forward added to Roma's squad.
Story Coverage8 sources on this story
Roma's pursuit of Stuttgart winger Jamie Leweling ended in failure on transfer deadline day, with the German rejecting the club's advances despite an improved financial offer and a private jet positioned to fly him to Rome. All outlets confirm that Leweling ultimately chose to remain at Bundesliga side Stuttgart rather than join Gian Piero Gasperini's squad, ending Roma's last hope of securing the attacking winger the manager had specifically requested before the 20:00 window closure on 1 September. The collapse came after Roma reached agreement with Stuttgart but could not overcome Leweling's reluctance to complete the move. TeleRadioStereo and GialloRossi.net report that the player's lack of full conviction about joining Roma proved the decisive factor, while Gianluca Di Marzio and Fabrizio Romano indicated insufficient time remained to finalize the deal once Leweling requested space to consider his future.
Outlets differ slightly on Roma's final offer. GialloRossi.net reports the bid as €30 million fixed plus €5 million in bonuses, while Il Messaggero cites approximately €35 million plus add-ons. Leweling had been summoned to Stuttgart's offices on the morning of 1 September after training and initially appeared open to the transfer following Roma's accelerated push, but ultimately reversed his position. Sky Sport Deutschland's Florian Plettenberg confirmed the winger rejected not only Roma's proposal but also a concrete offer from Everton that came during the night, opting to continue his career in Germany instead.
The failure to land Leweling left Roma without the positional reinforcement Gasperini had identified as essential. Other attacking targets including Jamie Bynoe-Gittens and Malick Fofana proved unavailable, with Fofana nearing a switch to the Premier League according to multiple outlets.
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Testo Originale / Source Text
“Ultimo giorno di mercato. Il calciomercato alle 20 chiude e la Roma è ancora a caccia del tanto ricercato esterno d'attacco. Leweling si complica, sullo sfondo rimangono Gittens e Luiz Henrique. I giallorossi, intanto, hanno alzato un muro per Koné che è finito nel mirino del Chelsea.
Salta anche…”
Read the full article in Italian at Forza Roma.