Roma and Porto at odds over mandatory purchase clause in Mora deal

Manu Koné has emerged as one of Roma's standout performers this season after the club resisted multiple Premier League approaches during the summer transfer window. Chelsea made concrete advances with a €60 million offer, while Atlético Madrid had tabled €45 million, but Roma chose to retain the midfielder. That decision has vindicated itself: Koné scored a vital brace against Inter in a 2-2 draw and has impressed consistently under head coach Gian Piero Gasperini, who has benefited from keeping him away from the London giants. His stock has risen sharply on the international stage as well. New France boss Zinedine Zidane has begun deploying Koné in a deeper midfield role, and the 24-year-old is thriving in that position—mirroring the creative freedom he enjoys at club level when given licence to advance. La Gazzetta dello Sport reports that his market value has now climbed closer to €100 million, a significant uplift from the €60 million Chelsea offered just months earlier. Roma are using comparable transfer valuations as a benchmark. The fees Tottenham paid for Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali are cited as markers for the club's assessment of Koné's standing in the current market. The Giallorossi believe that if other clubs can command those sums, Koné represents a substantial asset worthy of a premium valuation.

Alessandro Romano's sale to Cagliari has become a flashpoint for criticism of Gasperini's transfer strategy, but the narrative conflates a promising young midfielder with an elite prospect and misreads Roma's reasoning for the deal. Romano earned excessive hype after four strong matches with Cagliari, leading to comparisons with Rodri and a call-up to the Italy squad after just 451 minutes in Serie A. His debut for the national team proved disastrous and drew unwarranted criticism. The sale itself became weaponised against Roma—a club top of the league with unprecedented numbers—as though offloading Romano represented a catastrophic error. Roberto Mancini, Italy's current manager, fuelled the narrative, saying in a press conference: "Romano, I knew little of him, but he impressed me at the first matchday and I wanted to see him. I believe he can be important for the national team's future, he plays with first touch and Ranieri did well to flag him." Mancini's comments overlooked a key fact: Romano had debuted under Gasperini, who therefore did not rate him as poorly as the mythology suggests. Gasperini's decision to sell Romano for a fee reaching €9 million with bonuses and a resale percentage was nearly unavoidable given squad structure and midfield depth. Romano would have been a fifth-choice option and lacked the characteristics ideal for Gasperini's system. The absence of a buyback clause is a legitimate point of debate, though including one would have significantly reduced the final figure. Within days, fears took hold that Roma had lost another De Rossi. Instead, the rush to portray Gasperini as foolish took precedence over assessing the emotional state of a young player who, a year earlier, was playing in Primavera. The article suggests other young defenders—Ghilardi, Tresoldi, Kayode, and Pisilli (on loan to the Under-21s)—merit national team opportunities more than Romano, and that diplomatic victory over Switzerland mattered more to the discourse than sporting judgment.

Jadon Sancho remains without a club at the end of September after his loan spell at Aston Villa concluded and Manchester United failed to renew his contract. The winger, who was a Roma target under Gian Piero Gasperini's management in the summer of 2025, has struggled to secure a new employer despite his talent. Russian club Krasnodar have reportedly rejected the opportunity to sign him after he was proposed to them.

Roma's international contingent made an impact during the first round of matches across their respective national teams. Rodrigo Mora, representing Portugal's Under-21 side, delivered an assist and created multiple chances in a 90-minute display against Bulgaria that drew praise. Manu Koné continued his strong form for France, deployed as a defensive midfielder against Turkey in a different role than his usual positioning, yet still ranked first for successful dribbles and maintained his stellar start to the season. Koné has now established himself as a cornerstone of the French setup under Zinedine Zidane. Roma sent 12 players on international duty during this break, giving head coach Gian Piero Gasperini a chance to recharge ahead of a strong start to the 2026-27 campaign while maintaining focus on rhythm and fitness. Rodrigo's performance underlined the club's expectations following a €50 million investment, with his growth trajectory in a Roma shirt becoming increasingly significant. The break comes at a critical juncture, balancing necessary rest with the imperative to sustain momentum after the club's impressive opening. Gianluca Mancini's display for Italy proved disappointing, marked by an error leading to Belgium's opening goal and imprecision in the first half, though he improved after the break and came close to scoring. Daniele Ghilardi was not selected for Italy and awaits his national team debut. Konstantinos Koulierakis remained unused on the bench in Greece's match against Serbia. Evan N'Dicka returned to action with Ivory Coast, delivering a solid performance in their victory against Ghana. The three Roma players on Argentina duty—Santiago Castro, Matías Soulé and Leonardo Balerdi—face a friendly against Bolivia in four days, followed by Argentina's tribute match to Lionel Messi, a fixture where Nahuel Molina and Paulo Dybala are hoped to appear, though Roma has yet to confirm their release.

Jamie Gittens suffered an ankle injury during England Under 21's match against Kazakhstan on Saturday, forcing him off the field at the 39-minute mark. The Chelsea forward, followed by Roma during the summer and still on the club's radar for future moves, left the pitch on crutches and will undergo examination. The severity of his injury will determine whether Roma's interest in him carries into the next transfer window. Roma have begun renewal talks with Emanuele Lulli, who impressed early in the season while on duty with Italy Under 21. The club's director and Lulli's agent have opened initial discussions to extend his contract, which runs until June. Both sides are understood to be willing to continue together, with a meeting scheduled at Trigoria in the coming days to advance negotiations. The Italian Football Federation's federal council has approved a change to the winter transfer window dates at the request of Serie A, with backing from Leagues B and Pro. The market will now open on 28 December instead of 1 January, with the closing date remaining Monday 1 February. FIFA approval is still required to make the change official. Lorenzo Pellegrini is using the international break to recover and aims to return for the Como fixture. Should he play, he will reach 350 appearances for Roma, matching Damiano Tommasi and climbing to 12th place in the club's all-time list. Pellegrini turned down a more lucrative offer from Besiktas and is keen to convince Gasperini to give him more playing time, though he currently sits behind Soulé and Mora in the pecking order.

Roma players on international duty produced mixed results across Europe and Africa on 26 September as the first round of fixtures in the international break played out. Rodrigo Mora was the standout performer for the Giallorossi, starting for Portugal Under 21 against Bulgaria in a Euro qualifier and playing all 90 minutes wearing the number 10. The 2007-born midfielder created the opening goal at the 50th minute, cutting into the area and delivering a low pass for Gustavo Varela to score. Portugal's lead did not hold; Bulgaria came from behind to win 2-1 with goals from Pavlov in the 87th minute and Marinov in stoppage time. Despite the defeat, Mora delivered a decisive contribution after losing recent game time with Roma. Manu Koné and Evan N'Dicka both completed 90 minutes in victories for their nations. Koné was an immediate starter in the new France squad under Zinedine Zidane, playing the entire Nations League match away to Turkey, which France won 1-0 through a Kylian Mbappé goal in the 54th minute; Koné received a yellow card in the closing stages. N'Dicka featured throughout Ivory Coast's 2-0 victory over Ghana in Africa Cup of Nations qualifying on the first matchday, with goals from Malick Yalcouyé and Franck Kessié, keeping a clean sheet in the centre of defence. Gianluca Mancini had a difficult evening at the Stadio Olimpico. The Roma defender started for Italy in a Nations League match against Belgium managed by Roberto Mancini, with the Azzurri defeated 2-0. Godts opened the scoring in the 20th minute, getting the better of Mancini, and Lukebakio added a second in the second half. The number 23 played the full match in a challenging performance for Italy's entire defensive unit. Konstantinos Koulierakis remained on the bench for Serbia's 2-1 loss to Greece, while young defender Daniele Ghilardi, called up to the senior squad for the first time, was left out of the 23-man squad for the Olimpico fixture. Further Roma players are due in action over the coming days. Leonardo Balerdi, Santiago Castro and Matías Soulé will begin their fixture cycle with Argentina on 30 September against Bolivia, the same day Mora returns with Portugal Under 21 against Gibraltar. On 1 October, Niccolò Pisilli and Emanuele Lulli will feature for Italy Under 21 against Armenia, and Giorgio De Marzi for the United States Under 19 against Brazil.