Malen: Champions League triumph matters more than my goals

Roma have reignited their interest in Torino winger Cacciamani, a 2007-born player tracked closely at Trigoria. The club's first approach, an offer of €7 million, was rejected by Torino owner Cairo, who values the player at approximately €15 million and initially resisted any sale. However, the pursuit has heated up in recent days, with sporting director D'Amico preparing to make a fresh bid. The coming hours could prove decisive. Gasperini remains short of squad depth on both flanks — he is still seeking a left-sided winger, a right-back starter and a left-back option. So far this summer, D'Amico has completed only two signings: Castro and Koulierakis, which the club believes is insufficient to complete the roster. Cacciamani represents one of several targets being tracked, though Read is also among Roma's priorities. The continued lack of concrete progress has prompted the club to accelerate their efforts. With Gasperini awaiting reinforcements, D'Amico is stepping up activity in the transfer market. The prospect of further bids for Cacciamani reflects Roma's determination to strengthen their attacking and defensive options before the window closes.

Roma continued their pre-season retreat in Wales on 3 August with an intensive day of preparation under Gasperini ahead of their opening Serie A fixture against Fiorentina. Wesley did not train and will miss the friendly against Newport on 4 August, Roma's second warm-up match following their defeat to Cardiff. The squad faced a demanding schedule: breakfast at 9.00, training at 10.30 focusing on running, drills and pitch work, lunch at 13.00, a three-hour break granted by Gasperini, then a light snack at 16.15 before departure. The team bus left Vale Resort at 17.10 for the Rodney Parade, with kick-off set for 20.00 Italian time (19.00 local). The return journey was scheduled for 21.35, followed by dinner. Gasperini continues to push the squad hard during the Welsh camp, where cooler temperatures and better conditions than Rome allow for focused work. After the Cardiff loss, Roma are seeking a response and a confidence-building performance. Newport represents the next test as the Giallorossi build towards the competitive season.

Devyne Rensch has spoken of his emotional arrival at Roma, telling Romanews.eu from the club's Cardiff training camp: "It is a feeling difficult to explain. These are sensations you don't experience often but only in very special moments. When I signed for Roma it was a special moment for me and so the emotions came out. My mother was crying too and that is one of the reasons why that moment was so special." Midfielder Muhammed Bah suffered a serious setback during the same training spell, tearing his anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee after 26 minutes of the friendly against Cardiff City. The 2007-born player will undergo surgery in Switzerland with Dr Georg Ahlbäumer, with recovery estimated at approximately nine months. Bah had suffered the same injury once before in 2024. Elsewhere, Roma are accelerating their pursuit of right-back Givairo Read from Feyenoord as their primary target for the flank. The club has tabled an offer of €25 million and an agreement in principle has been reached with the player; further contact with Feyenoord is expected in the coming days to advance the deal. Winger Wesley withdrew from training after just ten minutes but Roma's medical staff reported no serious alarm, describing it as a minor issue to manage in the coming days. His early exit had been pre-arranged with the coaching team. Paulo Dybala was singled out as one of the few Roma players performing well in the Cardiff friendly loss.

Roma face Newport County in their second pre-season friendly in Wales on 4 August at 20:00 at the Rodney Parade. The match follows an earlier fixture against Cardiff City during the summer preparation period under head coach Gian Piero Gasperini. Gasperini is expected to deploy a 3-4-2-1 formation, with Mile Svilar in goal; Gianluca Mancini, Evan N'Dicka and Koulierakis across the back; Devyne Rensch and Wesley as wing-backs; Neil El Aynaoui and Bryan Cristante in midfield; Paulo Dybala and Matías Soulé in the attacking midfield line; and Donyell Malen leading the attack. Tickets are available through Newport County's official website. The friendly will be broadcast live on DAZN, with live text coverage available on ilromanista.eu.

Donyell Malen has set his sights on a repeat of Roma's impressive 2025–26 campaign, speaking from the club's preseason base in Cardiff. The Dutch forward scored 15 goals in 20 appearances in his first six months at Roma and is determined to maintain that trajectory in the 2026–27 season. Malen reflected on last season's primary achievement: the Champions League qualification that ended a long drought for the club. "Always nice for a striker to score many goals and help the team win," he said. "In the end, the big success of last year wasn't my scoring record, but the Champions League place we secured. Roma hadn't played in it for so many years. It would be a dream to replicate what we achieved last year." When asked about winning the Serie A Golden Boot, Malen stressed that individual accolades are secondary to overall performance. "Dream of becoming top scorer? The important thing is to play at a high level. It's not just about goals, but creating plenty of chances and providing assists. I know my qualities in finishing, and if I improve week after week, who knows where I can get to," he said.

Devyne Rensch has backed Gasperini to be a major asset for Roma, speaking from the club's pre-season training camp in Wales. The left-back said: "Yes, certainly he is a coach who brings a lot of energy, mentality, tactical work for everyone and also for me. He is a coach who is helping me become a better footballer but also a better person. He motivates you, he always pushes you to exceed your limits and consequently to beat the opponent. It is clear that he is a very demanding coach who makes you work hard, but he is very good both on and off the pitch in looking after all aspects of the footballer and the person." Rensch has not yet met Dutch compatriot Givairo Read but believes his arrival would strengthen the squad. When asked about a potential move for Read, Rensch said: "No, I have only seen him play. He would be the third Dutch footballer in the squad besides me and Malen, so it would be nice if his arrival came through and we could also help him to settle in and integrate as well as possible and quickly." Rensch also reflected on Roma's Champions League campaign, saying that while scoring against Parma was important, the focus now must be forward: "It was very nice to score such an important goal for the team. But in the end this is the past, now we must move forward and concentrate on what lies ahead of us, because now we must work even harder to be competitive in the league, Coppa Italia and Champions League. We must look ahead."