Rodrigo Mora completes Roma move as viral Porto highlight resurfaces

Roma continue to pursue Torino winger Cacciamani after the club rejected an initial offer of €12 million. According to Gianluca Di Marzio, president Cairo turned down the bid, but Roma are preparing to increase their offer to move closer to Torino's €20 million valuation. Head coach Gasperini is seeking reinforcement on the left flank, with Cacciamani identified as a target to provide competition for Wesley. Alongside the Cacciamani negotiations, Roma are also considering Inter's Luis Henrique, a preference of sporting director Tony D'Amico. Inter are demanding €30 million for the winger. The club remains active in the market to strengthen the midfield flanks, with Udogie of Tottenham also on the radar as an alternative option for the left-back position.

Roma's transfer activity is far from over. Head coach Gian Piero Gasperini remains unsatisfied with the squad additions of Castro, Koulierakis and Molina, and the club is pursuing further reinforcements. An agreement with Malick Fofana, the 21-year-old Belgian winger from Olympique Lyonnais, remains live. Lyonnais coach Paulo Fonseca has approved the sale and the club is in talks with Roma, contingent on completion of the pending Mora deal. Fofana, who is valued at 35–40 million euros, earns approximately 2 million per year and fits Roma's salary parameters—constraints that blocked moves for Greenwood, Summerville, Leão and Martinelli. Roma are seeking a loan with an obligation conditional on certain criteria. Concerns over Fofana's fitness after a 133-day ankle injury layoff have eased, and an agreement with the player is in place. Gasperini has two or three options for most positions but only Wesley at left-back. Roma remain focused on sourcing a backup left-back, actively pursuing Tottenham's Udogie, Inter's Luis Henrique and Torino's Cacciamani. Udogie is considered the ideal profile for Gasperini given his defensive attributes and Wesley's attacking role. Luis Henrique has been adapted to play across the flank on both sides and higher up. Torino are asking substantial fees for Cacciamani, but Roma prefer a costly loan with conditional rights or obligations. Discussions with Tottenham have intensified after Udogie's availability became clearer following Spence's departure to Inter. Luis Henrique, now sidelined at Inter, is pushing for a Roma move.

AS Roma announced the departure of Luigi Cherubini on a temporary basis to Benevento. The winger, born in 2004, took part in pre-season training under head coach Gian Piero Gasperini before the move. Benevento acquired him on loan. Roma confirmed the transfer via social media with a message of encouragement to the player.

Emanuele Lulli, the 18-year-old right-back, delivered a positive display for Roma in their final pre-season friendly against Borussia Dortmund at Signal Iduna Stadium yesterday, starting and playing 76 minutes. Gasperini has regularly deployed the class of 2007 prospect in recent weeks, with Lulli appearing in progressive minutes across warm-up fixtures: 18 minutes against Cardiff, 20 against Newport, 12 against Brighton, and the full 76-minute outing against Dortmund. The teenager, who turns 19 tomorrow, demonstrated both defensive cover and attacking thrust—precisely what Gasperini demands from his fullbacks. Roma's recruitment focus remains on the offensive flank, though director D'Amico continues work on the fullback contingent. With Tsimikas, Çelik and Angeliño departed, the squad has lacked reinforcement on the wings; only Wesley and Devyne Rensch remain from last season, with Molina arriving yesterday on his Roma debut. Lulli's composed display offers genuine hope of a permanent pathway into first-team contention under Gasperini. Lulli recorded three defensive contributions, two interceptions and three recoveries in addition to one clearance across his 76 minutes, also winning one ground duel and one aerial duel. He registered 88% pass accuracy in the opposition half (7/8) and 82% in his own half (9/11), with 2 of 3 long passes reaching their target. His ball-carrying statistics stand out: 54.9 metres gained (compared to 23.3 for Rensch), including 37.4 metres towards the opposition goal (21.3 for Rensch). Roma continue pressing on Udogie, while moves for Cacciamani and Luis Henrique face complications.

Radio commentators have offered sharp assessments of Roma's summer transfer activity. Piero Torri told Radio Manà Manà that Roma has made poor decisions in the market, spending €90 million without selling anyone. He singled out Çelik and Summerville as problematic acquisitions, and questioned the logic of signing a centre-forward when three were already at the club—citing Castro as an unnecessary purchase. He also criticised the €13 million outlay for a sixth defender as lacking strategic sense. "With €90 million you've taken two reserves and you haven't filled the gaps," Torri said. Alessandro Santoro noted that Gasperini described Roma as a diesel engine—a contrast to last season—in a calm pre-match conversation before the Trastevere fixture. Santoro added that Koulierakis was not a necessary signing and that speculation about Ziolkowski moving to Saudi Arabia came to nothing. Stefano Petrucci offered a different angle, suggesting that Gasperini has now identified the core problem at Roma—and that it was not sporting director Massara. "Gasperini has understood what the real problem at Roma is and it wasn't Massara: now with D'Amico he is more at ease, but he is very worried about the situation," Petrucci said.

Roma's pursuit of Porto forward Rodrigo Mora has stalled after the Portuguese club requested enhanced payment guarantees on the full transfer fee. The deal, which appeared close to completion 24 hours earlier, remains unsigned pending Porto's revised conditions. Gasperini will begin the 2026–27 season against Fiorentina in 11 days at the Olimpico, building from the squad that finished third last season. Zeki Çelik departed to Juventus rather than renew his contract, but the core of that team remains intact. Director of sport D'Amico has added three players so far this summer: Nahuel Molina, who is set to start from day one, plus Castro and Koulierakis as squad depth. With Summerville and Nusa having fallen through as targets, Mora emerged as the primary objective to complete the forward line. The delay now threatens to extend Roma's transfer window into a crucial period before the opening fixture.

Roma are pursuing three high-profile signings to complete Gian Piero Gasperini's squad, with Rodrigo Mora's arrival imminent. The Portuguese attacking midfielder's transfer from his current club is set at €25 million on a permanent basis, with Roma retaining a 50% sell-on clause that can be cancelled for an additional €25 million within a year. Mora, a 2007-born talent, is expected to arrive in Italy between 18 and 20 August and will earn a rising salary reaching approximately €2.2 million per year. Mendes's agency orchestrated the deal and recently also offered Rafael Leão to Roma, a proposal rejected as outside the club's financial parameters. With Mora secured, Roma have virtually closed negotiations for Malick Fofana on terms of €35 million plus bonuses from Olympique Lyonnais. Initial concerns over Fofana's fitness have been cleared, and Roma are pressing to complete the deal this week despite Lyon's wish to keep him until 26 August for a Champions League playoff return leg against Fenerbahçe. The final piece of Gasperini's rebuilding puzzle is a left-sided full-back to rotate with Wesley, Molina, Rensch and young prospect Lulli. Roma are tracking Cacciamani and Udogie, though Tottenham are unwilling to loan Udogie, while Torino are blocking a sale of their young talent. Roma resume training at Trigoria ahead of Monday's Serie A opener at home against Fiorentina, when Niccolò Pisilli will rejoin the group.

Gian Piero Gasperini plans to field two South American wingers of international standard against Fiorentina at the Olimpico on Monday evening. Argentinian right-back Nahuel Molina, who arrived in the capital eight days ago following his World Cup involvement, is set to return to Serie A action after impressing in a pre-season test against Borussia Dortmund. Brazilian winger Wesley will also feature, though he has spent recent days managing a minor ankle sprain and remains a precaution away from full availability; Devyne Rensch stands ready as cover if needed. The match offers Gasperini an early opportunity to showcase Roma's attacking threat with pace and rhythm from both flanks. Molina's introduction and Wesley's return to full training form part of the squad's preparations for the new campaign, with both players carrying significant pedigree from their national teams. In attack, a selection battle continues between Castro and Donyell Malen for a starting berth, while midfielder Niccolò Pisilli remains uncertain for the fixture.

Roma have made concrete progress on multiple fronts in their pursuit of new players. The club have agreed terms with Porto for Rodrigo Mora on a deal worth €25 million plus 50% of any future sale, with Roma holding the option to cancel that sell-on clause by paying Porto the remaining 50% next year. Porto's final approval is awaited to allow Mora to complete his move to the capital. In parallel, Roma have opened negotiations with Lyon over winger Malick Fofana, who has signalled his willingness to join the club in yellow and red. Lyon have provided Roma with all the operational details of a potential transfer, though the French side are pushing to keep Fofana for their Champions League commitments. Notably, Fofana's agents represent Luis Henrique, another player Roma have monitored in recent weeks. The decision on whether to pursue the Belgian talent now rests with Roma, though the club harbour an ambitious goal: to bring both Mora and Fofana to Rome and then add a further winger to complete the attacking department. With a week remaining until Roma's Serie A opener against Fiorentina, head coach Gian Piero Gasperini is monitoring the fitness of Wesley and Niccolò Pisilli, both sidelined following a friendly against Borussia Dortmund on 15 August. Wesley continues to experience ankle trouble and will be assessed on the resumption of training at Trigoria, as will Pisilli. Confidence is filtering through that both will be available for the first match of the season.

Robinio Vaz will remain at Roma through the closing of the transfer window, with the club rejecting any sale of the French striker acquired eight months ago from Olympique Marseille for €25 million. A proposed move to Bologna fell through during negotiations involving Castro and Dovbyk. Vaz has used recent friendlies to impress new head coach Gian Piero Gasperini and demonstrate his value to the squad. With the centre-forward role occupied by Malen and Castro, Vaz is being positioned as a creative attacking midfielder, a role that could leverage his distinctive qualities. Gasperini's tactical system offers intriguing prospects for the French talent, who possesses pace and physical strength unmatched by other options in that position—Dybala, Pellegrini, Mora and Soulé. Last season, his intervention proved decisive in a closely fought match against Lecce after an initial adaptation period in Italian football. Vaz suffered a first-degree medial collateral ligament injury to his right knee while training, an injury sustained in unusual circumstances: he explained to the club he was injured while skiing in summer. After overcoming the setback within just over a week, he has recovered fully and is ready to compete for Gasperini's confidence.

Rodrigo Mora has joined Roma from Porto, bringing a classical trequartista's skill set that head coach Gasperini believes will unlock Roma's right flank. Born in Porto and a Dragões supporter, Mora left the Portuguese top flight after interest from Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain failed to materialise into offers. Gasperini sees in Mora characteristics similar to Paulo Dybala and intends to deploy him on the opposite flank, addressing an area of the pitch Roma have left exposed. Mora's arrival signals Gasperini's pursuit of attacking symmetry. The coach managed a comparable setup at Atalanta, stationing players such as Ilicic and Gómez on opposing wings. Should a trequartista operate on the right, a counterpart will occupy the left. The 23-year-old possesses sublime technical ability and creative vision for teammates, though he will need to strengthen his defensive work. Gasperini's reputation for tactical exactitude and exacting standards with young players makes him a natural fit for a talent seeking to take a decisive step forward.

Roma's summer transfer work is far from over, with head coach Gian Piero Gasperini signalling his appetite for further additions beyond the arrivals of Castro, Koulierakis and Molina. While the Mora move may defer heavier spending to next summer, the club retains capacity to pursue further signings aligned with Gasperini's tactical requirements, notably Malick Fofana of Olympique Lyonnais. The 21-year-old Belgian attacker remains an active target, with Lyon manager Paulo Fonseca having cleared his departure and the club engaged in talks with Roma. Fofana is valued at 35–40 million euros overall, with his existing salary of approximately 2 million euros fitting Roma's parameters. Gasperini currently has two—and occasionally three—options for most positions, but a significant shortage exists at left-back, where Wesley stands alone. Though Devyne Rensch could theoretically deputise, that scenario is presently ruled out, prompting continued pursuit of alternatives from Tottenham (Udogie), Inter (Luis Henrique) and Torino (Cacciamani). The squad's forward depth across Paulo Dybala and Matías Soulé, combined with Donyell Malen and Robinio Vaz—currently viewed as a late-game option pending development—means the Mora signing does not close the conversation on attacking reinforcements.