Roma banking on Saudi Arabia sales to unlock transfer plans

Rafael Leão has become a fresh target for Roma's final stretch of the transfer window after the Portuguese winger opened to a possible move to the club in recent hours. No advanced negotiations are currently under way, but Roma are studying a sustainable formula centred on payment structure. The real obstacle remains agreement with Milan, who value Leão at €40 million plus €5 million in bonuses. A conversation between Gerry Cardinale and Leão's agent Jorge Mendes could prove decisive in the coming hours in determining which scenarios are genuinely feasible. At Trigoria, Tony D'Amico is observing closely: Leão is considered an ideal profile for Gasperini's attacking department, but concrete openings from Milan will be needed before any serious move. Roma remain undeterred in their pursuit of Jamie Bynoe-Gittens and have made a new attempt to sign the Chelsea winger. The negotiation remains tied to the structure of the deal. Chelsea do not view the player as outside their project and are unwilling to accept a loan without guarantees. To persuade the Blues, Roma will need to present either a permanent offer or a loan with a mandatory purchase obligation. Roma's defensive department has become particularly rich in alternatives following the arrival of Koulierakis and the imminent arrival of Jayden Oosterwolde. With this in mind, in the final days of the window, either Ziółkowski or Ghilardi could leave Trigoria to find more playing time. Polish defender Ziółkowski is the subject of strong interest from Saudi Arabia, while Ghilardi appeals to Bologna. The Emilia side are tracking him as a possible replacement for Lucumì: there is concrete interest at present, but a formal negotiation has not yet begun. Roma will make their Serie A home debut tomorrow at 20:45 against Fiorentina at the Stadio Olimpico, which is heading towards a sell-out. Gates open at 18:45 and the club advises supporters to arrive at least 90 minutes early to avoid queues at the turnstiles. The Box 4 on via Nigra will be active from 17:45 until kick-off for any needs, while from 09:00 it will be possible to contact Roma via Contact Centre, telephone or email.

Roma continue to pursue winger Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, but Chelsea have signalled a change in the structure required to make a move happen. According to Fabrizio Romano and Matteo Moretto, Chelsea will not sanction a departure on a simple loan with an option to buy. Instead, the London club are demanding guarantees of a permanent transfer—specifically a loan with an obligation to buy, potentially tied to easily achievable conditions that would effectively guarantee a permanent sale. Chelsea do not regard Gittens as surplus to requirements; they see him as a player capable of remaining useful within their squad, which explains their reluctance to part with him on softer terms. Roma's previous proposal—structured as a loan with an option to buy—has been rejected on this basis. Should Roma pursue Gittens further, they will need to move closer to Chelsea's demands and accept a far more binding financial commitment. If the club chooses not to accept those terms, they will be forced to explore alternative targets to provide head coach Gian Piero Gasperini with the attacking winger he has requested. Meanwhile, the transfer of Jayden Oosterwolde is now finalised in principle. An agreement with Fenerbahçe has been reached, with only final bureaucratic steps remaining before the deal closes. Roma's transfer activity may not end there: director Tony D'Amico continues to work on multiple fronts, and further moves in the coming days cannot be ruled out.

Rafael Leão has signalled willingness to join Roma in the closing stages of the transfer window, stepping back from Turkish offers that have failed to convince him. According to Tele Radio Stereo, the Portuguese winger has opened the door to a move to the Giallorossi in recent days. The matter has become pressing for Milan, with owner Gerry Cardinale travelling to the club to address the situation and hold talks with Jorge Mendes, the agent who represents Leão. Mendes is working to satisfy all parties and facilitate Leão's transfer to a new club. Roma have so far shown reluctance to structure a permanent deal, meaning Milan will need to accept alternative formulas—such as a loan with a conditional option or obligation to buy—to open genuine negotiations with Roma's sporting director D'Amico. Leão has remained on Roma's radar throughout the window and could represent a surprise addition to the attack as the deadline approaches. Milan are asking for €40 million plus €5 million in bonuses to allow his departure. D'Amico is aiming to turn what was only a suggestion days ago into reality, but the two clubs must find common ground on the structure of any deal before serious talks can begin.

Gasperini is preparing Roma's opening lineup for Monday's visit of Fiorentina, with the shape of his team already taking clearer form in the final days of the transfer window. The Stadio Olimpico will host Fiorentina, managed by Grosso, who despite their youth and last season's league position will present a stern test. Gasperini has identified Fiorentina's preference for a 4-3-3 setup during summer friendlies and is likely to counter with a 3-4-1-2 formation against their four-man defence, adapting his usual structure. That system would see Rodrigo Mora operating as the trequartista behind the Paulo Dybala and Donyell Malen partnership, a position where the Argentine could make an immediate impact and deliver more options than Matías Soulé offers from the left flank. The formation can shift to a 3-4-2-1 during play when Malen presses higher up the pitch. Gasperini will keep some selection decisions until the final stages of Monday's match. Wesley and Molina appear set for the right flank, while Kostas Tsimikas contests the left-back role against Mario Hermoso for a starting place. The central defensive duel between Evan N'Dicka and Fiorentina's Kean will be a critical battleground — N'Dicka has struggled more than usual against Kean's pace and explosive moments from his time at Juventus. Fiorentina's Arthur Atta will be their wildcard variable, looking to disrupt Roma's defensive shape by dropping deep and unsettling the back line. Molina will have dual duties: creating danger down the flank through his runs while containing the constant forward drives of Valdepeñas. The final training session takes place this afternoon at Trigoria, where remaining selection dilemmas—including the Mora-Soulé contest and the Cristante-Neil El Aynaoui decision—will be resolved. Gasperini continues to wait for one more attacking wide player with different characteristics from Mora during the summer window. Monday brings the first competitive test of the season, a tactical chess match between two managers with distinct philosophies and clear identities. Roma will need a strong start in a title race that this year features more Champions League contenders than ever before.

Gian Piero Gasperini is weighing up his starting lineup for Roma's Serie A debut against Fiorentina, with Mora under consideration for a place from the start. Niccolò Pisilli is currently favoured over Neil El Aynaoui in midfield contention. Roma held their final training session at Trigoria today ahead of the match on 23 August 2026. The squad will remain in ritiro overnight before their opening fixture of the season.

Gasperini will settle his choice of attacking midfielder for Sunday's match against Fiorentina by tonight or tomorrow morning. Matías Soulé has been tested for a second consecutive day in training, but Rodrigo Mora and Bryan Cristante remain in contention. Should Cristante advance into that role, either Neil El Aynaoui or Niccolò Pisilli would partner Manu Koné in midfield. Roma's campaign starts from third place and a 65,000-capacity Olimpico crowd, but the foundation is Gasperini's core players. The coach continues to regard Paulo Dybala, Gianluca Mancini and Cristante as essential to the team. Dybala finished pre-season with 7 goals and strong physical condition, while Mancini and Cristante remain the anchors for solidity, charisma and balance. Former Roma player Dario Bonetti reflected on the club's great regrets in an interview. On a disallowed goal by Turone, he said: "The disallowed goal to Turone cost us the scudetto in a glaring way." He also recalled Roma-Lecce: "That was an unexplainable, cursed match: it still bothers me to talk about it now." On the European Cup final against Liverpool, Bonetti added: "We were penalised, their goal came from an obvious foul on me."

Rafael Leão has become a fresh target for Roma's final stretch of the transfer window after the Portuguese winger opened to a possible move to the club in recent hours. No advanced negotiations are currently under way, but Roma are studying a sustainable formula centred on payment structure. The real obstacle remains agreement with Milan, who value Leão at €40 million plus €5 million in bonuses. A conversation between Gerry Cardinale and Leão's agent Jorge Mendes could prove decisive in the coming hours in determining which scenarios are genuinely feasible. At Trigoria, Tony D'Amico is observing closely: Leão is considered an ideal profile for Gasperini's attacking department, but concrete openings from Milan will be needed before any serious move. Roma remain undeterred in their pursuit of Jamie Bynoe-Gittens and have made a new attempt to sign the Chelsea winger. The negotiation remains tied to the structure of the deal. Chelsea do not view the player as outside their project and are unwilling to accept a loan without guarantees. To persuade the Blues, Roma will need to present either a permanent offer or a loan with a mandatory purchase obligation. Roma's defensive department has become particularly rich in alternatives following the arrival of Koulierakis and the imminent arrival of Jayden Oosterwolde. With this in mind, in the final days of the window, either Ziółkowski or Ghilardi could leave Trigoria to find more playing time. Polish defender Ziółkowski is the subject of strong interest from Saudi Arabia, while Ghilardi appeals to Bologna. The Emilia side are tracking him as a possible replacement for Lucumì: there is concrete interest at present, but a formal negotiation has not yet begun. Roma will make their Serie A home debut tomorrow at 20:45 against Fiorentina at the Stadio Olimpico, which is heading towards a sell-out. Gates open at 18:45 and the club advises supporters to arrive at least 90 minutes early to avoid queues at the turnstiles. The Box 4 on via Nigra will be active from 17:45 until kick-off for any needs, while from 09:00 it will be possible to contact Roma via Contact Centre, telephone or email.

Bologna are monitoring Roma defender Jan Ziółkowski and Daniele Ghilardi as potential departures from the Giallorossi in the final days of the transfer window. Roma's defensive ranks have become crowded following the acquisitions of Koulierakis and the imminent arrival of Oosterwolde, creating the possibility that Gasperini could allow players to leave in search of greater playing time while generating revenue for the club. Both Ziółkowski and Ghilardi occupied lower positions in the manager's hierarchy last season and are regarded as potential exits. Ziółkowski has attracted strong interest from Saudi Arabia, while Ghilardi could remain in Italy. According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, the latter has become a target for Bologna, who are seeking a new centre-back following Lucumì's departure. Bologna hold genuine interest in the player, though no formal negotiations have yet been initiated. The situation is expected to develop in the coming days.

Roma are intensifying their pursuit of offensive reinforcements in the final weeks of the transfer window. Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, the 22-year-old Chelsea winger, has emerged as the club's primary target to complete the attack. Chelsea rejected Roma's opening proposal of €3 million for a loan plus a €40 million option to buy, with manager Xabi Alonso viewing Bynoe-Gittens as an important alternative to Morgan Rogers. However, Roma's director of football D'Amico is not giving up; new discussions are expected in the coming days to determine whether there is room to reopen negotiations and present a more convincing offer. Parallel to the Bynoe-Gittens chase, Roma have other attacking targets under consideration. Ibrahim Mbaye, the 18-year-old Paris Saint-Germain prospect from the 2008 generation, has been proposed in recent hours as an opportunity aligned with Roma's new financial parameters following their settlement agreement, though no formal negotiations with PSG have yet begun. Jean-Mattéo Bahoya, a 21-year-old winger at Eintracht Frankfurt, and Pedro Henrique, a 20-year-old Brazilian winger at Zenit, remain among the alternatives D'Amico is monitoring. The Roma director continues to scan the market for a left-sided attacker capable of adding pace and directness, waiting for opportunities that may open in the final days of the window. Meanwhile, the Malick Fofana operation from Lyon remains blocked, though not definitively dead; if no other winger arrives and Lyon accept more sustainable economic conditions, D'Amico could attempt to revive those talks. On the defensive front, Roma are on the verge of completing Jayden Oosterwolde's arrival from Fenerbahce. The 25-year-old Dutch left-back will join on a loan worth approximately €3 million, with a right of redemption that can become an obligation if certain conditions are met, for a total operation valued at around €17–18 million. An agreement with the player is already in place. Gasperini views him as Wesley's backup but he can also be used in a central role. Oosterwolde is currently sidelined with a muscular problem and is expected to return to availability around mid-September. Outgoing moves are also taking shape. Jan Ziółkowski, the 21-year-old Polish defender, may leave Trigoria; several Saudi clubs are interested, particularly Neom, from which Roma await a concrete offer. Roma's valuation sits between €16 million and €20 million, with 10 per cent of any future resale going to Legia Warsaw. Daniele Ghilardi, the 23-year-old centre-back, has attracted Bologna's attention and could become another sacrificed defender alongside Ziółkowski. Should either central defender depart, Roma would return to the market for a replacement, preferably via loan. Elsewhere, Christopher Nkunku's move away from Milan appears imminent—the 28-year-old French striker is nearing a return to Leipzig on a loan of approximately €4 million plus a €28 million option, ending speculation that had linked him to Roma.