Mora decision day looms as Roma explore Fofana, Endrick alternatives

Roma's management are following the situation of two unhappy forwards who appeal to Gian Piero Gasperini, with Endrick reportedly wanting to leave Real Madrid and Lookman looking for more game time. The Giallorossi are reportedly searching for their next striker in Madrid. The article's headline frames Roma's interest as a move for a future player at Real Madrid, linking the club's search to the coach's preferences. No further details on fees or timing are available from the report.

Arsenal have entered the race for Endrick, joining Milan and Sporting in pursuit of the Brazilian forward, according to English outlet TeamTalk. The Premier League champions have returned to negotiations for the Real Madrid striker in recent weeks, and Mikel Arteta has never given up on the player and is pushing for a fresh attempt in January. Unlike other clubs, such as Roma, Arsenal do not intend to complete a straight loan deal. They are exploring the option of including a technical counterpart, Zubimendi, and securing an option or obligation to buy in order to keep Endrick at the club for the long term. The appeal of the Premier League could change the 2006-born Brazilian's mind, but he still holds Roma and Gasperini in high regard after facing the Giallorossi at the Olimpico. He has also appreciated their attacking style of football, in which he believes he would fit in perfectly and be able to express his qualities. The report suggests Endrick's admiration for Roma and head coach Gian Piero Gasperini remains strong, even as English interest grows. Arsenal's pursuit is built around a structured deal rather than a short-term loan, which sets their approach apart from the Giallorossi's interest.

Journalist Matteo Moretto has said Roma are the principal Italian club pursuing Real Madrid forward Endrick, and that the Brazilian is 70% likely to leave on loan in the January window. Speaking on DAZN Spain, Moretto said the player's own wishes could prove decisive in persuading Real Madrid to open the door to a transfer. Endrick, who was born in 2006, wants more regular game time and would welcome a new experience away from the Spanish capital, as he did last season with his loan at Olympique Lyonnais. Moretto said: "If Madrid were to give the go-ahead for a loan transfer, especially Mourinho, I think what will make the difference is the will of the boy. If Endrick asks to be sold in order to play more, then it can be done." He suggested the deal could move forward if the player formally requested to leave. The journalist put a figure on the chances, saying: "I'd say he will be loaned out at 70%." The assessment is significant, given that only a few weeks ago José Mourinho publicly expressed his wish to keep the Brazilian at Real Madrid for the second half of the season. According to Moretto, Roma are ahead of AC Milan in the race for Endrick in Italy. Sporting director Tony D'Amico has followed the player for some time and watched him closely in the Champions League match against Real Madrid at the Olimpico, where Endrick scored one of the goals in Spain's comeback. AC Milan remain interested, as do several Premier League clubs and Portuguese sides. Moretto stressed that Roma are the Italian club most interested, without indicating that any agreement has been reached. The final decision will depend as much on the player as on Real Madrid's willingness to accept a loan. The need for regular minutes has become a priority for the 20-year-old, particularly with an eye on his international future. Endrick wants to keep developing and to convince Carlo Ancelotti to give him a bigger role with Brazil. His limited playing time at Real Madrid risks slowing that progress, which is why a further loan, following his positive spell at Lyon, is a concrete option. For Gian Piero Gasperini, Endrick would be a high-quality addition to an attack the coach still considers short in numbers. D'Amico is also evaluating other profiles, including Jamie Gittens of Chelsea, but the chance to secure a player of Endrick's calibre on loan remains particularly attractive to Roma, given the financial constraints shaping the club's market. Roma continue to work on the lead, but the decisive step will be a formal transfer request from the Brazilian. At that point, Mourinho and the Spanish club will have to decide whether they are willing to let him leave. D'Amico is keeping watch, hoping to finally complete a deal that fell through last summer.

Rodrigo Mora has become a fixed presence for Gian Piero Gasperini after just two months, scoring four Serie A goals in nine appearances. Roma paid 25 million euros for the Portugal international, with a further 25 million to Porto possible. Mora is already part of the Portugal national team set-up. While Tommaso Baldanzi struggles to find space at Genoa under Daniele De Rossi, Mora is a regular starter for Gasperini. He ended a difficult start to the season with three goals in a row, against Genoa, Udinese and Sassuolo. He had never scored in three consecutive matches at Porto. His four league goals are double the two the former number 35 scored in 54 matches over two years. He has also registered two assists, against Real Madrid and Manchester United. The young playmaker's form matters for Roma's wider plans. Gasperini is enjoying a pairing of very young attacking midfielders. Rodrigo, born in 2007, works well alongside Matías Soulé, born in 2003. Paulo Dybala returns from the trip to Parma, but Mora will also find his place in Gasperini's system. Before the end of the year, Roma play seven matches in under a month, so the squad will need every option. The article stresses that the squad has room for everyone. Rodrigo's rise has changed the early-season picture, and his goals and assists have given Gasperini a clear reason to build his attack around him alongside Soulé and Dybala.

Roman radio pundits have been debating a possible move for Brazilian forward Endrick, with contrasting views on whether he would suit Roma. On David Rossi's Rete Sport show, Rossi said Il Corriere dello Sport reported that both AC Milan and Roma were interested in the player, and that Endrick had said he would not join Milan because the club's symbol is the Devil. Rossi questioned whether that could be credible, adding that when a name is this obvious a deal rarely happens unless it is already done. He also said there was a danger Fonseca wanted Endrick at Sporting, where the player had felt at home under Fonseca at Lyon. "Endrick is a fantastic player," Rossi said. "Gittens may play on the left, but between him and Endrick there are, for me, three categories of difference." The debate comes as Roma are in the title conversation. Gianluca Piacentini named three reasons to believe in the scudetto: the league's strongest coach, room to improve through the January transfer market, and a levelled-down Serie A, which he said was shown by Lazio sitting top of the table. He said he hoped the race would be between Roma and Inter. Piacentini also criticised the 'atleta di Cristo' explanation, saying it was not a fair criterion for choosing a destination. Fabio Petruzzi said Endrick sees little of the pitch and may want to leave to play regularly, adding that if he has not played while Vinicius was suspended for four matches, he will never play. He said that if he were an attacker, Gasperini is the first coach he would want to work with, and that Endrick, a left-footed player, can play on the left. Mario Corsi said the Mora-Endrick comparison was a trap because the two are completely different players. He said Endrick has a strong shot, dribbling and heading ability, and that strong players must be signed. He said Malen should not be deployed on the wing because he must stay in the middle, and that Gasperini and D'Amico had not heard from Friedkin for a long time and were somewhat worried. "If they really want to win, they have to make this move." Francesca Ferrazza said Roma need two forwards with Pellegrini gone, and that Endrick offers the best value for money. Lorenzo Pes said Malen's frequent substitutions also happened last year, and that Retegui at Atalanta rarely finished matches. Valentina Catoni said that when Dybala is fit he always plays. Piero Torri recalled Mourinho saying Endrick would not leave Madrid, noted that the Brazil international has started only one match, and said Endrick is a second striker who would sit behind Soulé and Dybala. Roberto Pruzzo said Endrick wants to play and that Italian football has become a second-tier league. Nando Orsi argued Roma need a right-footed winger who plays on the left, and that Endrick would be of little use with Castro already in the squad. Mario Mattioli warned that bringing Endrick into the Roma dressing room could be an unwanted explosion, calling him very difficult to manage and saying he would have to play always and in every match. "He is not a dressing-room man," Mattioli said, adding that Endrick is not the man who says "let's arm ourselves and set off" when a common effort is needed.

Roma head coach Gian Piero Gasperini wants to bring in two attacking players, with a striker of pace and thrust the clear priority. Tony D'Amico publicly acknowledged last Saturday that finding such a forward is the aim, a quality the current squad palpably lacks and which was exposed in high-level matches against Manchester, Real and Inter. Endrick is seen as the ideal profile for his technical and athletic qualities. He was deployed in support of the main striker at Lyon a year ago, when Fonseca, who now wants him at Sporting, used him in that role. He has scored 8 goals and provided 8 assists in a few months, a sign of enormous potential that is still largely unexplored. Gasperini would pair him with Malen, with a playmaker behind the front line such as Mora, in a 1-2 attack, and would add a second attacking player alongside him. That second player would be a left-footed winger who can operate as a wide midfielder or a winger, with a profile similar to Moreira: versatile and able to be used in several roles or positions during a match. The alternative would be an attacking midfielder in the mould of Pasalic or Pellegrini, who could come in as part of the rotations. The target is not a deep-lying or central midfielder.