Marten de Roon wins over Roma staff as club eye contract extension

Roma radio pundits used the latest edition of the On Air roundup to debate the club's January transfer plans, with Daniele Lo Monaco of Radio Romanista claiming that Roma would win the Scudetto if they could sign Gittens and Endrick. He added: "If I could have Gittens and Endrick today, Roma would win the Scudetto. Or at least they would fight it out until the last matchday with Inter." The Italian headline also carries comments from Lorenzo Pes and Checco Oddo Casano on the UEFA financial verdict and its effect on the market. The main backdrop is the Financial Fair Play case. Gianluca Piacentini of Rete Sport said the UEFA ruling will come in May, and that the parameters had already been reported: the reduction of the squad cost and Roma's virtuous process, helped by Champions League money. He said: "I take it as good news, Roma are on a virtuous path." Casano disagreed on the market impact, saying: "Nobody has ever talked about a blocked market. Nobody at Trigoria is certain of a budget to spend in January, regardless of the UEFA matter." He added: "Not knowing what kind of verdict you will get, you cannot go to Real in January and say: 'Here are 70 million for Endrick'. You would risk worsening your position in the eyes of your judge." On the squad, Roberto Pruzzo said: "Roma have reacted well to the absences: Soulè has played very well and has at times taken the team in hand, while the striker up front has dropped off a little, but it seems to me you have absorbed the injuries well. Now you can restart with more certainties." Lo Monaco argued that Castro and Malen struggle to play together, as they do more or less the same things, and that Endrick could be the alternative to Dybala with Mora as a trequartista. Andrea Pugliese said Soulè and Dybala do their best work on the right and asked where Soulè would play once Dybala returns to the starting line-up, adding that Dybala would be almost certain to start in Parma. Petruzzi said Mora has scored 4 goals and Soulè has also scored, and that Dybala will play whenever he is at 100%. On Lookman, Mario Corsi said: "With Gasperini I would take Lookman. He has scored only one goal at Atletico Madrid, and maybe that is why they are ready to sell him." Pes said: "If I had to sign someone who can really help you, it would be Lookman. If there were the chance to work together again, the old grudges would be smoothed over." He also said that Gasperini does not want a Greenwood-type player but someone who can help, and that a midfield reinforcement may be needed given Koné's injury record and Pellegrini's absence. Pes added that a major sale is hard to see at this point of the season. Pes said the official FPF sanction will arrive in the spring, but that Roma will probably know something in the coming weeks. On the January window, he said: "We cannot take anything for granted, but something will be done." Nando Orsi, also of Radio Radio, defended Svilar, arguing that his absence has not cost Roma points in Serie A or the Champions League, and that the only goalkeeper without blame against Real was the goalkeeper himself.

Roma are interested in Atletico Madrid winger Ademola Lookman as they look for a high-level signing in January, according to Spanish daily Mundo Deportivo. The Nigerian forward has slipped down Diego Simeone's pecking order, and the report says Gian Piero Gasperini knows him well, having coached him at Atalanta. The move is complicated by Atletico's reluctance to weaken their attack. Lookman has lost regular game time this season. He has made 15 appearances across La Liga and the Champions League, scoring twice and providing one assist, but his role in Simeone's rotations has steadily shrunk. The clearest sign came in the recent match against Barcelona: although Atletico were behind on the scoreboard, Simeone left Lookman on the bench for the entire game without using all of his substitutions. That decision fuelled questions in Spain about the Nigerian's role and his ability to win back the coach's trust. For Roma, Lookman would represent the quality, pace and unpredictability that Gasperini has long asked for to complete his attack. Mundo Deportivo describes him as a player who is ready now, with international experience and a deep understanding of his coach's methods. Gasperini led Atalanta to victory in the 2024 Europa League final, when Lookman scored a hat-trick against Bayer Leverkusen. However, the main obstacle is Atletico. Spanish reports suggest Simeone would be unlikely to let Lookman go without a replacement of equal or greater quality. Atletico invested 35 million euros plus five million in bonuses to sign him from Atalanta last February, and his contract runs until 2030, which strengthens the club's position. Even with his reduced playing time, Atletico do not need to sell him, and a departure mid-season appears particularly difficult. The interest therefore remains a tempting option but, for now, more complicated than concrete. Simeone would only reconsider if he received adequate guarantees over a suitable replacement.

Roma sporting director D'Amico has Nigerian winger Lookman on his list of attacking reinforcements, as the club look to give Gian Piero Gasperini the final pieces needed to compete on all fronts. Endrick remains the top name on the list, but a route to the former Atalanta forward has emerged in recent hours. Gasperini knows Lookman well, having been the coach who developed him into one of the best players in his role at Atalanta. That reputation convinced Atlético Madrid to invest millions to bring him to Spain. His time in the Spanish capital, however, has not gone as planned. After a strong start, Lookman has found it harder, playing less and having less impact. That has sparked early talk about his future and the possibility of a departure. According to Mundo Deportivo, Alemany does not want to let him leave without first identifying a concrete alternative. The message from Atlético is clear: a replacement must arrive first, and only then can a sale be discussed. Finding a player with Lookman's characteristics in January will not be simple, which is why the move could heat up mainly in the summer.

Roma's January transfer planning is waiting on concrete signals from the Friedkin family in Houston, with the club's strategy expected to be defined this week. The break for international fixtures is seen as a crucial moment to plan the winter window, while Roma's aim remains to stay close to the top of the Serie A table. Il Tempo reports that, barring surprises, no members of the Friedkin family are expected to arrive in Rome. The club is also waiting to learn the outcome of its settlement agreement with UEFA, which will determine the room available for investment. Gian Piero Gasperini's direct contact for market matters and corporate affairs remains CEO John Galantic, with a meeting expected in the coming days. The technical area and sporting director Tony D'Amico have already set the priorities: a striker and a winger, ideally with the qualities of Moreira, who was pursued months ago. Endrick remains at the top of the wish list, although the deal is considered complex in several respects. Kvernadze's stock among the other profiles studied by the club has fallen, as he does not fully convince. Unlike the situation last summer, Gasperini's plans also include the possibility of signing a new midfielder, should the budget granted by the ownership allow it. Although satisfied with the performance of the department, the coach has begun to reflect on the difficulties of the season so far. Koné tends to stop from time to time, De Roon, while still reliable, is of significant age, and Pellegrini is getting less and less playing time. For these reasons, if there is room to manoeuvre, Roma will consider a addition in midfield.

Roma want to keep Marten de Roon, and talks over a contract renewal are beginning, provided things continue as planned and the midfielder wants to keep playing, which is reportedly fairly certain at this stage. The Dutchman, who turns 36 in March, has given strong assurances about his technical and physical condition. The bond between De Roon and head coach Gian Piero Gasperini is reportedly so close that, at some point in the future, the midfielder could even join the coach's staff, according to Il Corriere dello Sport. The former Atalanta captain is looking ahead without getting too far ahead in his thinking, taking things day by day. What matters, he says, is feeling good and having the right motivation. Money is not an issue in the negotiations. De Roon has spoken warmly about Gasperini, who, in his words, changed his life and his career. The report places the renewal talks alongside Roma's efforts to keep Mario Hermoso, with the club looking to retain its experienced defender and midfielder together.

Roma's January transfer window risks becoming one of the pivotal moments of their season, with the club's challenge being to identify the players Gian Piero Gasperini genuinely needs without repeating the improvised mid-season dealings of the past. The summer window closed with at least two unresolved issues, perhaps three: a full-back, preferably left-footed, an attacking winger capable of giving bursts of pace and depth, and, despite the club's own assessments, a fifth central midfielder. The central midfield is probably the most underestimated concern. Manu Koné, Bryan Cristante, Marten de Roon and Niccolò Pisilli form a reliable unit in quality terms, but four players for two places, considering the Champions League, Serie A and the Coppa Italia, is a fairly thin resource. Roma's recent admission that a forward-thinking winger of real pace is the priority, recognising a gap that already emerged at the end of the summer market, was described as an important acknowledgement, since it means the club and the coach have identified a precise need. The question now is whether they can meet it without simply buying someone. January is not July. There are no summer training camps, no preparation weeks and no time to teach Gasperini's football from scratch, a system that demands reading of the game, physical condition, timing and a willingness to sacrifice. Anyone who arrives must be ready almost immediately, because the risk of signing a player who only understands the system by March is far from remote. The experience of Zaragoza and Venturino, signed in a hurry last year and sold just as quickly this summer, should have taught the club something. Those deals were meant to add attacking options but produced a contribution below expectations. What is needed is not necessarily another Grenier, a player brought in to fill a line on the team sheet without really changing the team's possibilities. Better one right signing than three alternatives destined to remain just that, especially as Roma have shown they already have a competitive structure and need to be completed rather than rebuilt. The problem is that this time the calendar will not even allow the luxury of waiting. From 2 to 31 January, Roma will play nine matches across Serie A, the Champions League and the Coppa Italia. The first three come in just eight days: Frosinone on 2 January, Venezia on 5 January and Milan on 9 January. Then comes Verona in the cup, Atalanta, the decisive European fixtures against AEK Athens and Lille, Udinese and Monza. The sequence could steer three competitions at once, making it essential to reach the restart after Christmas with all available resources. The market opens on 1 January, but D'Amico believes the work must be substantially completed well before then. Waiting until the final days to save money could leave Gasperini without reinforcements just as points start to matter more. Equally, rushing through profiles that are not fully convincing simply to present them at Trigoria in the first days of the month would be just as dangerous. That is the balance to strike: being in a hurry without being rushed. Gasperini has shown he can develop a squad built around his ideas, but also that not every player is automatically suited to his style, so January's business must be built on shared choices rather than last-minute opportunities. Roma have already lost too much time in the past trying to correct the mistakes of the previous market. This time they must do something different: complete what works. A reinforcement arriving on 3 January can change a season; the same player arriving on 31 January could find a Roma that has already played nine decisive matches. And certain opportunities, once missed, cannot be recovered with a signing.