Molina arrives from Atlético Madrid as Roma push for Champions League squad

Roma sporting director Tony D'Amico has been forced to withdraw from the Social Football Summit in Turin because of flu-like symptoms. He had been announced as a guest at the event, where he was due to speak at 12.30 alongside Sky Sport journalists Gianluca Di Marzio and Luca Marchetti, but he had to decline the invitation. On Monday, the club's chief business officer Gandler and head of institutional relations Lucia Bernabé spoke on the stage at the summit. The absence comes at a busy time for the club, with a transfer-market meeting planned at Trigoria in the coming days involving head coach Gian Piero Gasperini and the ownership. Ryan Friedkin is also expected in the capital for those discussions.

Roma are reportedly monitoring Atlético Madrid winger Ademola Lookman as his playing time at the Spanish club has steadily dwindled, with the Nigerian emerging as a possible alternative to Endrick, who remains at the top of the Giallorossi wish list for January. Repubblica.it reported the story today. Roma are said to be searching for an attacking winger who can add pace, quality and unpredictability to the attack. Lookman played a key role in some of the best seasons of his career under Gian Piero Gasperini at Atalanta, and the report links him directly to the Roma coach. He has made 15 appearances across La Liga and the Champions League this season, scoring two goals and providing one assist. Those figures are modest for a player who, in his first months in Madrid, had shown he could be an important figure for Diego Simeone. The clearest sign of his struggles came in Atlético's most recent league match against Barcelona. Lookman sat on the bench for the full 90 minutes of the 2-1 defeat and was not called on even as the game was still in progress. It was the first time this season that he had not found a place in a match. Meanwhile, Álex Baena is gaining ground on the left flank in Simeone's pecking order. Simeone, however, has recently reiterated his confidence in Lookman, highlighting his qualities in one-on-one situations. No transfer requests from the player have been reported, nor has Atlético shown any willingness to let him go. Lookman's career at Atalanta is the key reference point. He became one of the most incisive forwards in European football there, using his ability to start on the left, cut inside and attack the goal with speed and great efficiency. The peak of his time in Bergamo remains the hat-trick he scored in the 2024 Europa League final against Bayer Leverkusen, which gave La Dea a historic trophy. The relationship with Gasperini has not always been smooth. In February 2025, after Lookman missed a penalty against Bruges in the Champions League, Gasperini criticised his decision to take the kick harshly, prompting a public reply from the player. That episode, the report says, does not erase the work the two did together or Lookman's remarkable growth under the coach. From a technical standpoint, the report says Lookman would fit many of Gasperini's requirements. He is a right-footed attacking winger, quick, skilful in dribbling and capable of creating numerical superiority from the left flank, exactly the kind of player the coach has been asking for over recent months to complete the attacking unit. Compared with Endrick, Lookman would bring greater experience and a deep understanding of the coach's systems. The financial terms of any deal still need to be assessed. Lookman is tied to Atlético Madrid, and Roma must respect precise financial constraints, favouring formulas for January that keep the immediate outlay down. A loan could be a route worth exploring, but there is currently no indication that the Spanish club would accept that solution. For now, Roma are monitoring developments, and the report describes Lookman as a name that could gain weight if the situation in Madrid changes. Gasperini knows the Nigerian's value well and how to get the most from his qualities.

Roma are monitoring Atletico Madrid forward Ademola Lookman, according to La Repubblica, as the Nigerian is finding little game time at the Spanish club. Lookman has never started a Champions League match for Atletico and was left out of Sunday's big match against Barcelona. Diego Simeone is reluctant to let him go, but the situation could change in January. Lookman and Gasperini wrote history together at Atalanta, when Lookman's hat-trick helped the club win the Europa League in 2024. Even so, Endrick remains Roma's first choice. The Real Madrid forward has played just 141 minutes across La Liga and cup competitions this season. Roma are looking to sign him on loan, but Mourinho's approval is still needed.

Roma's priorities have shifted: a backup for Wesley is no longer a priority, and the club are now focused on strengthening their attack ahead of the winter window. The January market opens early this year, on 28 December, between Christmas and New Year, and head coach Gian Piero Gasperini is reportedly hoping for at least two signings, both in attacking roles. The forward line is short of numbers, and reinforcing it is the absolute priority. Lorenzo Pellegrini will not return until 2027, while Paulo Dybala remains a question mark over his physical condition. Gasperini wants two attacking players. Compared with the summer, the priorities have changed. In the final days of the summer window Roma had also looked at a backup for Wesley, but that is no longer a priority. The coach is willing to keep his group of four wide players, largely thanks to the emergence of Lulli. The 2007-born player has quickly become a fixed point for the Giallorossi and sits ahead of Rensch in the pecking order on the right, often putting pressure on Molina. Balde was recently offered for that role, with his agent the same as Mora's, but all talks are currently frozen. Part of the reason is that a proper transfer summit has yet to take place, and part is that Roma will hunt for forwards to strengthen the attacking unit. Endrick is at the top of the list, but Gittens, van Bommel and Leweling are also under close watch. Kvernadze is considered more difficult to land.

Roma's summer recruits have been involved in 36.5% of the club's goals this season, with 15 of the team's 41 strikes involving one of them. Gian Piero Gasperini has relied heavily on seven players who were not part of the squad in the last match of the previous campaign: Nahuel Molina, Marten de Roon, Leonardo Balerdi, Rodrigo Mora, Emanuele Lulli, Santiago Castro and Konstantinos Koulierakis. Lulli came up from the Primavera. Molina has been the most-used player, with 751 minutes, one goal and two assists. He is followed by De Roon (732 minutes), Balerdi (639), Mora (595), Lulli (546), Castro (370) and Koulierakis (225). Gasperini has given minutes to every summer arrival, including the Primavera graduate, showing confidence in the quality of the new players. Mora has been the most productive, with four goals and two assists. His recent form, with a sharp improvement in the latest matches, has eased doubts about the investment made in the summer, reported at €25 million plus 50% of a future resale, for a valuation of €50 million. Across all competitions, the new players have taken part in 15 of Roma's 41 goals. By comparison, at the same stage of last season, Massara's summer signings from that campaign had contributed to just three goals: Wesley with one goal, Ferguson with one assist and Tsimikas with one assist.

Former Roma player Vincent Candela has urged the club not to settle for less, backing Gian Piero Gasperini's approach and insisting the side can push Inter until the end of the Serie A title race. Speaking to Il Messaggero, Candela praised Gasperini's work, the progress of Matías Soulé and the solidity of the midfield, while also highlighting the impact of Donyell Malen. He also sent a message to the transfer market: "If a couple of missing pieces arrive, we can have even more fun." Roma return to training at Trigoria tomorrow afternoon, and Gasperini is set to gradually bring back Paulo Dybala and Mile Svilar. Svilar, recovering from a stress fracture in the fifth toe of his foot, will undergo a new check-up. Koné and Nahuel Molina will remain at Trigoria during the break. Molina's recall to the national squad has been halted by the club, a call-up that would have meant returning to the capital just two days before the league resumes. Gasperini's side have set a new record in the club's history, scoring 31 goals in the first 11 Serie A matchdays, a figure never previously reached. The previous best was 28 goals in the 1960-61 season. Roma remain unbeaten in Serie A, as are Lazio, and among the top five European leagues they share this record only with Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund. Roma have also not lost at the Stadio Olimpico for over a year.