Roma and Juventus explored a swap deal for Matías Soulé through the summer window

Cristante is in Roma's squad for the trip to Napoli, according to the squad list published by Il Messaggero. Coach Gian Piero Gasperini is short in the final third, with Pellegrini, Dybala, Svilar and Koné all sidelined. He has only Mora and Soulé behind Malen, and is considering playing Cristante further forward. The squad list names Balerdi, Ghilardi, Hermoso, Koulierakis, Lulli, Mancini, Molina, N'Dicka, Rensch and Wesley in defence; Cristante, De Roon, Mora and Pisilli in midfield; and Malen, Soulé and Castro in attack. Camara and Di Nunzio are also listed. The situation is serious enough that Roma are expected to act in the January transfer window. The club must spend to give Gasperini at least two reinforcements between attack and the flanks. Gittens and Leweling remain on the list, and the club has not ruled out the complicated pursuit of Endrick. A new left-back name has emerged: Alejandro Balde of Barcelona, who is finding few minutes under Flick and has been offered by Jorge Mendes. His name joins that of Oosterwolde. Sky Sport reports that Roma are close to the final details of a contract renewal for Lulli, which would run to 2031. The deal has not yet been officially announced, and the last points must be settled before it is formalised. Speaking to Corriere dello Sport at the Amsterdam stop of the EA7 World Legends Padel Tour, Stekelenburg was asked about Svilar. He said: "If I had to put him in the top five... no, not yet. After all, there are Courtois, Neuer and others. But he is a young lad and he is doing an excellent job. He just has to keep growing." Asked to choose between Højlund and Malen if he were a sporting director, Graziani said: "Malen without thinking twice. Hojlund I like a lot, and sometimes he looks to me like a 'little Lukaku' the way he leads the attack and the physical battles he takes on, and he has a great sense of goal; but Malen is my ideal striker, for the way he attacks space, for his dribbling, for the acceleration he has in the last twenty metres and because he can roam across the whole attacking front."

Endrick's agent has said the Brazilian wants to stay at Real Madrid, but that his future depends on how much he plays. Michael Yormack, president of Roc Nation, the agency that manages the Brazilian's interests, spoke to SportsBoom. AS Roma continue to monitor the talented 2006-born forward, who they reportedly pursued in the summer and who could be targeted again in January if José Mourinho gives the green light. Endrick came on three minutes from the end against Leipzig, and his limited minutes remain an issue Real Madrid must address. Roma's interest is therefore tied to whether the player is willing to leave a club where opportunities are scarce, and to the stance of Mourinho, who would need to approve any move. Yormack said: "Endrick loves Madrid, he loves the team and his teammates, but in the end you have to think about the career, which is short and which Endrick wants to make the most of." He added: "I believe we will have to see how things go from now until the end of the year, before the next transfer window. He is a super talented young player who wants to play. I went to visit him a few weeks ago in Madrid, we had a good chat, he is impatient to play, so we will see what happens."

A column revisits the players Roma linked with last summer and how they have fared since, with the author noting that a winger Gasperini wanted is expected to arrive in January. The piece argues that some of those former targets are now tied down to new contracts and out of reach, making a return unlikely. Jamie Leweling was the most recent name to be discussed before he reportedly pulled back at the end of August, after a couple of weeks of uncertainty that affected his start to the season at Stuttgart, currently fourteenth. He has made only 2 starts in 6 Bundesliga matches, but has regained the trust of Sebastian Hoeness after the international break. In the Champions League he has started 2 of 3 games and scored in the last round at Atlético Madrid. His performances hover around the level of acceptable. Crysencio Summerville chose the Saudi route on 21 July, leaving Roma to sign for 17.3 million euros a season including bonuses. He had been one of Gasperini's favourites. He has 3 goals and 3 assists for Al Hilal in the Saudi league, and was sent off in his only appearance in the Champions League Elite. The author argues Middle Eastern football is not a good yardstick for judging players who choose money over the centre of the sporting world. Endrick has had a limited start to 2026-27. He came on in the last half hour against Roma for Real Madrid under Mourinho and started once, last weekend against Sevilla, before returning to the bench midweek in the Champions League. In total he has played 75 minutes in the league across 2 appearances and 35 minutes in Europe across 2 appearances. Mason Greenwood, rehabilitated at Marseille, has joined Fenerbahçe on a deal worth 11.5 million euros net, including bonuses. He has 4 goals and 2 assists in 8 Süper Lig games, and in the Champions League he scored 1 goal against Slavia Prague and set up 1 against Roma. The author says his quality is not in question, but his choice is. Malik Fofana, whose price was 35 million euros with wages of 3.5 million euros a season including bonuses, has yet to start for Sunderland and has no goals or assists in 120 minutes. The author judges the praise that surrounded him when Roma enquired to have been unjustified. Antonio Nusa is a regular starter at Leipzig, with 9 appearances of 80 minutes each, 6 of 6 in the Bundesliga with 3 goals and 3 assists, and 3 of 3 in the Champions League. The author finds it surprising that English and Spanish clubs have not invested, given the reported 55-60 million euro asking price, while noting he has been inconsistent, with 5 appearances of 12 minutes each. Alejandro Garnacho is struggling to regain form. Emery has described the physical gap with his teammates as still too wide. He has played 35 minutes in 3 Premier League matches and 33 minutes in 2 Champions League games. Gabriel Martinelli was offered to both Roma and Napoli in July and August at around 7 million euros a season plus bonuses. Both clubs considered him without committing. Al Hilal then offered 23 million euros a year. He has 5 goals in 5 league matches and 2 appearances in the Champions League Elite, and the author has no regrets about the figures involved.

Former Roma Primavera coach Gianluca Falsini has spoken about the rise of Emanuele Lulli, explaining how he moved the defender into the position he plays for Roma today. Speaking to Sky Sport, Falsini said: "At first he played as a midfielder inside the pitch, not as a winger, and with us he played as a right-back. When we played with three at the back he played as the fifth, as he is doing now with Gasperini." Falsini, now head coach of Como Primavera, worked with Lulli for two and a half years in the youth set-up. He said he had not expected Lulli to have this impact. The former Roma youth coach also praised the player's character and his background. Falsini said: "With Emanuele I had two and a half years of work, and my merit, which remains there, is having moved him into the position where he plays now at Roma. He is a boy with incredible moral qualities, and credit must be given to the family for doing a magnificent job with this boy. He used to come to the training ground knowing he was not among the best, but he had incredible potential. What he is doing well now is all down to him and to Gasperini, who has valued him."

Napoli and Roma have met 156 times in Serie A, and the historical record favours the giallorossi. Roma have won 53 of those matches to Napoli's 48, with 55 draws, and have scored more than 190 league goals against their southern rivals. The fixture, known as the "Derby del Sole", has produced balanced contests, heavy Napoli wins, high-scoring games and tense draws, and it has established itself as a classic of Italian football. The two clubs have never met in the Europa League or the Champions League. They have, however, faced each other in other European competitions of the past, such as the Coppa delle Fiere, where the head-to-head record stands at two meetings with one win apiece. The statistics also highlight the individual duels that have defined the fixture. Roma's leading scorer in the series is Dino Da Costa, who netted 8 goals against Napoli. Edin Džeko and Francesco Totti follow with 7 goals each, and Amedeo Amadei has 6. For Napoli, Dries Mertens is the most prolific, with 9 goals against the Giallorossi, ahead of Antonio Vojak and José Altafini on 7 apiece. The article also looks at Massimiliano Allegri's long record against Roma. His meetings with the club span almost two decades and include spells on the benches of Cagliari, Milan and Juventus. Overall, Allegri has faced Roma in 30 official Serie A matches. His first match against the club as a coach came on 31 August 2008, when Cagliari drew 1-1 with Roma at the Stadio Olimpico. Daniele De Rossi scored for Roma and Joaquín Larrivey for the Sardinian side. Among the most memorable meetings was a 1-0 Roma win at the Olimpico in February 2013, decided by a strike from outside the box by Francesco Totti against his former club Milan, as well as the hard-fought Scudetto clashes from Allegri's years at Juventus. The piece also notes players and coaches who have worn the shirts of both clubs since the 2000s. They include coach Luciano Spalletti, midfielders Amadou Diawara and Morgan De Sanctis (in goal), and strikers Daniel Fonseca, Claudio Caniggia and Andrea Carnevale, as well as defender Kostas Manolas.

Roma have named their squad for the big match at the Maradona against Napoli, which takes place less than 24 hours after the list was released. Gian Piero Gasperini's side will be without Paulo Dybala, Manu Koné, Lorenzo Pellegrini and Mile Svilar, who are all out. The club's list includes two Primavera players, Di Nunzio and Camara. Gasperini's only selection doubt is in the attacking midfield, where Bryan Cristante, Rodrigo Mora and Niccolò Pisilli are competing for a place. Pisilli is considered the likeliest to get the nod to play alongside Matías Soulé, not least because of his current form. Napoli, for their part, are getting back Rrahmani and Vergara, but will have to do without Neres, Favasuli, Buongiorno and Alisson Santos. Roma also want to end a long run against Allegri's side. They have not won away against Napoli since 2010, a wait of 16 years. That last win came on 18 December, when the decisive goal was scored by Borriello.

Roma have named their squad for the big match at the Maradona against Napoli, which takes place less than 24 hours after the list was released. Gian Piero Gasperini's side will be without Paulo Dybala, Manu Koné, Lorenzo Pellegrini and Mile Svilar, who are all out. The club's list includes two Primavera players, Di Nunzio and Camara. Gasperini's only selection doubt is in the attacking midfield, where Bryan Cristante, Rodrigo Mora and Niccolò Pisilli are competing for a place. Pisilli is considered the likeliest to get the nod to play alongside Matías Soulé, not least because of his current form. Napoli, for their part, are getting back Rrahmani and Vergara, but will have to do without Neres, Favasuli, Buongiorno and Alisson Santos. Roma also want to end a long run against Allegri's side. They have not won away against Napoli since 2010, a wait of 16 years. That last win came on 18 December, when the decisive goal was scored by Borriello.

Cristante is in Roma's squad for the trip to Napoli, according to the squad list published by Il Messaggero. Coach Gian Piero Gasperini is short in the final third, with Pellegrini, Dybala, Svilar and Koné all sidelined. He has only Mora and Soulé behind Malen, and is considering playing Cristante further forward. The squad list names Balerdi, Ghilardi, Hermoso, Koulierakis, Lulli, Mancini, Molina, N'Dicka, Rensch and Wesley in defence; Cristante, De Roon, Mora and Pisilli in midfield; and Malen, Soulé and Castro in attack. Camara and Di Nunzio are also listed. The situation is serious enough that Roma are expected to act in the January transfer window. The club must spend to give Gasperini at least two reinforcements between attack and the flanks. Gittens and Leweling remain on the list, and the club has not ruled out the complicated pursuit of Endrick. A new left-back name has emerged: Alejandro Balde of Barcelona, who is finding few minutes under Flick and has been offered by Jorge Mendes. His name joins that of Oosterwolde. Sky Sport reports that Roma are close to the final details of a contract renewal for Lulli, which would run to 2031. The deal has not yet been officially announced, and the last points must be settled before it is formalised. Speaking to Corriere dello Sport at the Amsterdam stop of the EA7 World Legends Padel Tour, Stekelenburg was asked about Svilar. He said: "If I had to put him in the top five... no, not yet. After all, there are Courtois, Neuer and others. But he is a young lad and he is doing an excellent job. He just has to keep growing." Asked to choose between Højlund and Malen if he were a sporting director, Graziani said: "Malen without thinking twice. Hojlund I like a lot, and sometimes he looks to me like a 'little Lukaku' the way he leads the attack and the physical battles he takes on, and he has a great sense of goal; but Malen is my ideal striker, for the way he attacks space, for his dribbling, for the acceleration he has in the last twenty metres and because he can roam across the whole attacking front."

Roma have named their squad for the Napoli fixture at the Maradona, with the match less than 24 hours away. Gian Piero Gasperini's list was released shortly after Napoli's own squad announcement by Allegri. Paulo Dybala is out, though he hopes to be back in contention against Cagliari. Manu Koné, Lorenzo Pellegrini and Mile Svilar are also unavailable. Bryan Cristante could return to the starting line-up. Two Primavera players feature in the squad. Di Nunzio made his debut against Genoa last weekend, and Mandjou Camara, a 2009-born striker, was already named in the squad for the game against the Rossoblù. The full squad is: goalkeepers Vásquez, De Marzi and Gollini; defenders Rensch, Koulierakis, N'Dicka, Molina, Hermoso, Mancini, Balerdi, Wesley, Lulli and Ghilardi; midfielders Cristante, De Roon, Pisilli, Di Nunzio and Mora; and forwards Castro, Malen, Soulé and Camara. The selection gives Gasperini a largely established back line, with Cristante's availability a boost in midfield as Roma travel to face Napoli.