Molina edges closer to Roma as Koulierakis departs Wolfsburg

Alessandro Romano, a Roma academy graduate who departed for Cagliari a few weeks ago, has impressed his new club sufficiently to earn a call-up to the Italy national team at the behest of coach Mancini. Cagliari manager Pisacane highlighted Romano's development after his side's victory over Udinese, drawing a comparison to a former Roma midfielder. Pisacane told Sky: "Romano? I don't think he even knows how strong he is himself. He's a complete player—if I have to give an example, he's a player like Strootman but with more physical impact. Perhaps Strootman had a more educated left foot, but he's a player who understands the game, has sacrifice, has dedication, knows how to play football. He's a complete player. He needs to play a lot, even if he makes mistakes: he surprised me—compared to Palestra, who made two or three mistakes at Udinese, he seems a player much more mature than his age would suggest."

Leonardo Balerdi has explained his departure from Olympique Marseille after six years and his desire to play for Roma. Speaking to DAZN France, the defender reflected on his move to Serie A and what drew him to the Giallorossi. Bareldi said of leaving Marseille: "It was a difficult moment to leave the OM. But I take everything that came with it: the beautiful things and the bad things." He acknowledged the mixed reception from supporters but used that experience as motivation. "I didn't remember being booed in the last match — sometimes people loved me, sometimes they didn't. I took the love they gave me as energy. I felt it was time to go. Six years at a club is a lot. But six years at Olympique de Marseille is something few players do. It was time to discover another league. I wanted to prove my value, try to do something different. I was very happy to leave." Bareldi joined Roma this summer as part of the club's defensive reinforcements for the 2026-27 season.

Leonardo Balerdi's loan deal from Marseille contains a complex purchase structure tied directly to his match appearances. If the Argentine defender plays in at least 55% of Roma's fixtures across all competitions for a minimum of 45 minutes, the buyout becomes mandatory at €14 million. Should his appearance rate fall between 40 and 55%, the obligation drops to €11 million. Marseille has secured a protection clause requiring Roma to pay a minimum €9 million if Balerdi accumulates just 20% of minutes played in the second half of the season. Balerdi will earn €1.5 million annually under the loan agreement—a significantly reduced figure relative to his market value—with a salary increase guaranteed if Roma exercise the permanent transfer option from next season onwards.

Roma will operate with a skeleton crew at Trigoria during the twenty-day international break following the draw against Inter, with head coach Gian Piero Gasperini having only seven first-team players available for training and preparation. The available squad members are goalkeepers Mile Svilar and Pierluigi Gollini, defenders Mario Hermoso, Nahuel Molina and Devyne Rensch, midfielder Marten de Roon, and forward Paulo Dybala. Dybala will take a leave of absence during the break to travel to Argentina and participate in Leo Messi's farewell international match. All other players will be away on international duty with their respective national teams. To maintain training intensity and match fitness, Gasperini will draw heavily on Roma's Primavera squad, though the youth sector has also lost several players to Italian national selections at Under 17 to Under 19 level, including Arena, Bonifazi, Giammattei and Guaglianone. The club has arranged a pair of friendly matches to keep the team sharp during the pause.

Roma drew 2–2 with Inter at the Olimpico on a night that kept them level with the Serie A leaders. Manu Koné scored twice in his first 45 minutes on the pitch—his first career double—but it was not enough to take all three points. Coach Gian Piero Gasperini said: "We played on equal terms." Koné's goals came from two midfield insertions. The first arrived after six minutes when Inter lost possession; Paulo Dybala crossed, Nahuel Molina returned it, and Koné finished first-time past Martinez. In the closing stages of the first half, Dybala played another pass, Gianluca Mancini touched it on, and Koné struck under the bar—initially ruled out before VAR confirmed it. The goals showcased the attacking run Gasperini has long asked Koné to add to his game of strength, pace, dribbling and spatial dominance. Inter have pursued Koné intensely over the past two transfer windows. In August 2025, their interest was concrete: they sought midfield power and dynamism and saw him as the ideal profile, tabling a significant proposal. Roma removed him from the market. Sommer and Thuram, former teammates of Koné in Germany, reportedly tried to persuade him to join them.

AS Roma will resume training tomorrow afternoon, but Gian Piero Gasperini faces a significant squad shortage across the next 20 days as just seven players remain at the club's Trigoria training ground. The available players are goalkeepers Mile Svilar and Pierluigi Gollini, defenders Mario Hermoso, Nahuel Molina and Devyne Rensch, midfielder Marten de Roon, and forward Paulo Dybala—who will himself be unavailable for several days to participate in Leo Messi's international farewell match. All other squad members are away on international duty with senior or Under-21 national teams. To maintain adequate training numbers, Roma will need to draw heavily on players from the Primavera academy. However, several academy prospects including Arena, Bonifazi, Giammattei and Guaglianone are themselves unavailable, having been called up to youth international squads ranging from Under-17 to Under-19 level. The club has a pair of friendly matches scheduled during this period, according to Andrea Pugliese's report in La Gazzetta dello Sport.