Roma agree deal to sign Balerdi from Marseille

Roma have made a late move for Luiz Henrique, the 25-year-old Brazilian left winger at Zenit, in the closing days of the transfer window. The name has surprised supporters unfamiliar with the player, prompting scrutiny of both his profile and fit at the club. Luiz Henrique is a physically powerful, left-footed winger standing 1.82 metres tall, naturally positioned on the right flank where he receives the ball wide, takes on defenders and cuts inside onto his left foot. That presents an immediate puzzle: Roma spent much of the summer hunting a left winger with a right foot, the inverse of Henrique's natural characteristics. He grew up at Fluminense before two seasons in Spain with Betis without establishing himself. His trajectory changed in 2024 when he returned to Brazil to join Botafogo, where he enjoyed the best season of his career. He won both the Brasileirão and Copa Libertadores, becoming a central figure in the squad and earning awards as South America's player of the year. That form earned him a Brazil cap and a move to Zenit in January 2025 for approximately 35 million euros. Henrique is not a lightweight winger relying on technique and flair. He is a powerful, quick, hard-to-shift operator in duels with a capacity for consistent dribbling. When he drives forward in progression he can create numerical superiority almost alone, and his physical traits appeal to Gasperini. He is not, however, a prolific scorer; he has quality in the final third but has never posted numbers of a 15–20 goal-a-season attacker. He can play on the left—Zenit has deployed him there with good results—but it remains an adaptation from his natural position. From that flank, being left-footed, he tends to drift to the byline or play combination passes rather than cut inward toward goal as players like Fofana, Nusa or Summerville would. Roma's initial pursuit focused on a right-footed left winger capable of cutting inside. Henrique does not match that profile. However, with days remaining in August, the club may be forced to compromise: if the ideal target is unattainable at the desired cost, availability and possible terms, Roma must broaden the search and evaluate alternatives. Henrique fits that logic—a player of genuine quality potentially within reach on the club's conditions, rather than Gasperini's original conception of the role.

Frank Kessié is close to returning to Atalanta rather than joining Roma or Juventus. Juventus ended their pursuit of the Ivorian midfielder today, while Roma never made a serious move for him. The costs involved—salary, signing bonus and agent fees—proved too high for Roma to pursue, and a move to the capital was never a hot prospect for the club. Roma have no current intention to sign a midfielder unless Neil El Aynaoui departs. Should he leave, the club will not accept loan offers and will only entertain a permanent sale. Juventus' withdrawal from negotiations today clears the path for Kessié's switch to Atalanta.

Roma have advanced unexpectedly for Zenit forward Luiz Henrique, 25, a name not previously linked with the club's attack this summer. The Brazilian, a former Betis player, scored the equaliser in a 1–1 draw at the Stadio Olimpico and has been put forward to the Giallorossi in recent hours. Negotiations are underway on the terms with Zenit, who valued him at approximately €40 million at the start of the transfer window. The left-footed forward, noted for his physical presence, would complete the offensive department as Roma encounter difficulty closing other preferred targets such as Fofana and Gittens. According to Fabrizio Romano, the club is actively working on a structure with the Russian club to bring in reinforcement in attack.

Roma have reached an agreement with Marseille to sign centre-back Leonardo Balerdi. The club is organising his travel to Rome in the coming hours, with medical tests and contract signature to follow. The move is structured as a loan worth €1 million with a right of redemption that can become an obligation at approximately €15 million, contingent on appearances and European qualification. Balerdi will replace Jan Ziółkowski, who is leaving for Como. Head coach Gian Piero Gasperini requested an experienced defender rather than a young prospect to develop, and the signing will complete Roma's defensive line alongside Gianluca Mancini, Evan N'Dicka, Mario Hermoso, Daniele Ghilardi and Konstantinos Koulierakis. Roma aim to have Balerdi available for Monday's fixture against Lecce.

AS Roma have completed the signing of Leonardo Balerdi from Olympique Marseille on a loan deal worth €1 million with a right of purchase that will become an obligation once specific appearance-based conditions are met. The Argentine centre-back is expected to arrive at Rome's Ciampino airport at 17:45 today, 29 August, ahead of medical examinations and contract formalities with head coach Gian Piero Gasperini's squad. Balerdi becomes Roma's defensive reinforcement following Jan Ziółkowski's departure to Monza. The transfer has been orchestrated swiftly in the final phase of the August window, with both clubs working to complete documentation and final contract details. The defender is now primed to undergo the customary medical checks before signing off on his move to the Giallorossi. Press reports from Fabrizio Romano and Gianluca Di Marzio of Sky Sport confirmed the structure of the operation in recent hours. The loan fee stands at €1 million, with the purchase option set to convert to an obligation should the defender meet the predetermined conditions tied to first-team appearances. Marseille have granted clearance for Balerdi to travel to Italy as the final arrangements reach completion.

Neil El Aynaoui is in concrete danger of leaving Roma, with Crystal Palace having made an official opening bid structured as a loan with a right of purchase that could become mandatory on certain conditions. The offer does not satisfy Roma's valuation of €30–35 million, which demands either an outright sale or a guaranteed obligation to buy. Bayer Leverkusen has also registered interest, while Saudi Arabian clubs approached the player in recent days. The significance of a potential departure extends far beyond a single transaction: it would mark the near-complete dismantling of the squad assembled by sporting director Frederic Massara just one year ago. El Aynaoui was signed from Lens for €23 million plus €2 million in add-ons in summer 2025, representing one of Massara's principal investments alongside a lengthy pursuit of midfielder Richard Rios, who had been identified by coach Gian Piero Gasperini. Within twelve months the landscape has shifted entirely. El Aynaoui has not become a central figure in Gasperini's Roma, and a sale in the €30–35 million range would recover the original investment and generate a profit useful for UEFA financial compliance. Yet the sale would crystallise a broader pattern: the systematic removal of Massara's summer 2025 recruits—Wesley, Daniele Ghilardi, Evan Ferguson, Bailey, Jan Ziółkowski, and others—in favour of a squad more precisely aligned with Gasperini's demands. Of that original cohort, only Wesley and Donyell Malen (signed in January 2026) remain unchallenged, both having received Gasperini's direct endorsement. Bailey departed in January; Ferguson and Kostas Tsimikas returned to their parent clubs; Zaragoza, Venturino, and Zelezny have left; Ziółkowski is bound for Monza; Robinio Vaz has reached an agreement with Hull City on a paid loan with a right of purchase. The article frames the matter as a fundamental mismatch between Gasperini's precise tactical requirements—intensity, one-on-one strength, athleticism, aggression, defensive commitment in open play, and position-specific qualities—and Massara's recruitment trajectory. El Aynaoui, at 25 years old and in his prime with genuine international market interest from Crystal Palace and Bayer Leverkusen, is scarcely a failed signing; a €35 million sale on a €25 million net spend is not a financial disaster. Yet the underlying tension is unavoidable: when a coach considers almost all his sporting director's signings from one year expendable within the next twelve months, something fundamental in the original construction has failed. A sale of El Aynaoui would convert a principal investment from the previous summer into capital to reinvest in a midfield and attacking flank now sought by Gasperini. The article poses a critical question as Roma seek to correct course: how much would it have cost to build a coherent squad aligned with Gasperini from the outset, rather than spending a year acquiring, waiting, selling, and repurchasing? Sporting director Tony D'Amico must construct a roster that is recognisable, coherent, and durable, because Roma has already consumed a year absorbing marketplace misalignment. Should El Aynaoui depart, Wesley and Malen will stand as the principal survivors—both chosen with Gasperini's strong approval.