Roma begin pre-season in Wales with Cardiff friendly

Roma began their first full day of pre-season training at Cardiff on 1 August 2026, the day after arriving in Wales. Head coach Gasperini's squad will hold a light training session at the Vale Resort sports centre before travelling to the stadium for a friendly against Cardiff City, scheduled for 15:00 local time (16:00 Italian time). The match will give fans their first chance to see Santiago Castro in Roma colours. Roma's summer preparations continue under Gasperini's management as the team builds fitness and cohesion ahead of the 2026-27 season. The Cardiff camp marks a key phase of their pre-season schedule, combining structured training with competitive action.

Roma are intensifying their pursuit of Feyenoord left-back Givairo Read as they seek to strengthen their defensive options for head coach Gasperini. A Roma delegation travelled to Rotterdam yesterday to negotiate a deal for the 20-year-old, offering €25 million (€23m plus €2m in bonuses), according to Gazzetta dello Sport. Roma director D'Amico did not travel with the squad to Wales as he conducted his various rounds across Europe. Nottingham Forest are also in the race for Read, though their offer is lower at €19m plus €2m in bonuses. Nottingham have reportedly already agreed terms with the player on a five-year contract worth €20 million total — €4 million per season. Roma must now either match that financial offer or convince Read with a lower salary, potentially around €3 million annually, while dangling the possibility of Champions League football.

Marash Kumbulla has been excluded from Gasperini's plans at Roma and was absent from the squad that travelled to Wales on 31 July. The centre-back trained separately during the opening weeks of pre-season and did not feature in friendlies against Primavera, Trastevere and Cannes. Roma are looking to sell him to generate funds, with Spanish club Rayo Vallecano among those to have enquired. In recent hours, sporting director D'Amico proposed Kumbulla to Torino as part of a bid to lower the asking price for Cacciamani, but the Serie A side rejected the offer. Torino are asking for approximately 15 million euros and manager Abate has requested that Cacciamani remain at the club—he impressed alongside him last season at Juve Stabia. Angeliño is departing Roma, joining Deportivo la Coruña on loan with a purchase option set at 2 million euros. In Gasperini's setup, Kumbulla was earmarked to fill the space vacated by the Spanish full-back. The move for Cacciamani remains on hold, though Roma have not abandoned their pursuit of the 2007-born winger. Salah-Eddine is also unwanted under the new technical plan and remains without a club. An agreement between Roma and Olympiacos had been reached worth 7 million euros plus 1 million in bonuses, but the Moroccan player has not yet accepted the move. The coming hours are expected to be decisive in resolving his future.

Roma travelled to Wales on 31 July for the second phase of their summer training camp and face Cardiff City at 16:00 Italian time on 1 August, with head coach Gasperini able to call on two key midfielders for the friendly. Neil El Aynaoui has returned from an extended break following the Morocco World Cup campaign, which drew interest from several European clubs, and will feature in the Cardiff match. Pisilli is also in Wales but will not play today; he is recovering from a first-degree muscle injury to the soleus in his left leg sustained more than a week ago, which forced him to miss games against Trastevere and Cannes. His return to partial squad training is expected by mid-next week, with full availability for Gasperini to follow in the coming days. El Aynaoui struggled to win over Gasperini early in the 2025–26 season but became one of Roma's most influential players in the run-in, scoring once, recording an assist, and delivering an important performance in the derby in place of the injured Manu Koné. Koné is unavailable for the Wales trip, currently on holiday in Miami; Manchester United remain attentive, though the Red Devils have yet to submit a formal offer despite ongoing contact with his representatives.

Neil El Aynaoui has returned to training ahead of Roma's friendly against Cardiff in Wales after an extended break, and will feature in this afternoon's match. The midfielder has emerged as a target for other European clubs following a prominent World Cup campaign with Morocco and Aston Villa's recent approach, though the Birmingham club has not yet made a formal move. Manchester United continue to monitor Manu Koné, with ongoing contact with his representatives but no official bid submitted as yet; Koné will not travel to Wales and is currently on holiday in Miami. El Aynaoui struggled to earn Gasperini's trust early in his first season at Roma, but made a significant impact during the final month of last season's Champions League push, contributing a goal, an assist, and a notable derby performance deputising for the injured Koné. Niccolò Pisilli is also in Wales but will not play today as he continues recovery from a grade-one soleus muscle injury sustained more than a week ago, which forced him to miss matches against Trastevere and Cannes. The midfielder travelled with the squad yesterday and is expected to rejoin group training around mid-week, with full availability for Gasperini to follow once his condition improves.

Roma arrived in Wales for their pre-season training camp on Tuesday, though roughly an hour behind schedule after switching flights due to an operational issue. The squad will be based at Vale Resort in Hensol and face Cardiff City in their opening friendly at Cardiff City Stadium on Wednesday at 16:00 local time (15:00 UK time). No morning training session is scheduled before the match. Santiago Castro, who has completed initial work at Trigoria, is primed to feature after his recent arrival, with Donyell Malen set to start as the sole new signing present. Matteo Koulierakis has not yet arrived for his medical examination; he is expected in the capital on Wednesday before joining the squad in Wales. Niccolò Pisilli has been recalled to the group as he continues recovery from a left soleus muscle injury but will not play. Robinio Vaz has fully recovered from injury and is available, while Neil El Aynaoui has returned after extended leave following World Cup duties. Approximately 10,000 tickets have been sold for the fixture. Shuttle bus services will operate every 15 minutes on route 95 between Cardiff city centre and the stadium from Wood Street (stop JB), beginning two hours before kickoff and running until the crowd has dispersed. Gates open at 13:30—90 minutes before the 15:00 local start. Around 100 Roma supporters are expected to attend.

Roma arrived in Wales for their pre-season training camp on Tuesday, though roughly an hour behind schedule after switching flights due to an operational issue. The squad will be based at Vale Resort in Hensol and face Cardiff City in their opening friendly at Cardiff City Stadium on Wednesday at 16:00 local time (15:00 UK time). No morning training session is scheduled before the match. Santiago Castro, who has completed initial work at Trigoria, is primed to feature after his recent arrival, with Donyell Malen set to start as the sole new signing present. Matteo Koulierakis has not yet arrived for his medical examination; he is expected in the capital on Wednesday before joining the squad in Wales. Niccolò Pisilli has been recalled to the group as he continues recovery from a left soleus muscle injury but will not play. Robinio Vaz has fully recovered from injury and is available, while Neil El Aynaoui has returned after extended leave following World Cup duties. Approximately 10,000 tickets have been sold for the fixture. Shuttle bus services will operate every 15 minutes on route 95 between Cardiff city centre and the stadium from Wood Street (stop JB), beginning two hours before kickoff and running until the crowd has dispersed. Gates open at 13:30—90 minutes before the 15:00 local start. Around 100 Roma supporters are expected to attend.

Konstantinos Koulierakis will undergo medical tests in Rome tomorrow after all regulatory approvals were secured, becoming Roma's second summer signing. The Greek defender joins from Wolfsburg on a deal worth 16.5 million euros plus 1.5 million in add-ons, with the German club retaining 20 per cent of any future resale. He has already signed his contract. Meanwhile, Roma have begun the second phase of their summer preparation in Cardiff, Wales, under head coach Gian Piero Gasperini. The squad will remain at their Hensol base—approximately 20 kilometres from Cardiff—until 8 August, training at the WRU National Centre of Excellence and facing three friendly matches against Cardiff City, Newport County, and Brighton. Niccolò Pisilli has recovered from a calf problem and was included in the touring party, along with Robinio Vaz, who recently returned to group training. Roma are also pursuing Givairo Read, the Dutch right-back from Feyenoord. Sporting director Tony D'Amico has submitted a 25 million euro offer to open negotiations, though Read remains a target for several Premier League clubs. Read said: "If the opportunity presents itself to join a club I like, I'll be ready. I feel good physically and mentally right now. My goal is to stay in shape and prove my value on the pitch."

Roma have announced the squad selected by Gian Piero Gasperini for the second phase of pre-season, with the team departing for Wales in the afternoon. The travelling group includes defenders Rensch, Ndicka, Hermoso, Mancini, Ziolkowski, Wesley, Mannini, Nardin, Reale, Lulli and Ghilardi; midfielders Cristante, El Aynaoui, Pisilli, Panico and Bah; and forwards Castro, Malen, Soulé, Dybala, Cherubini and Vaz. The Wales camp marks a significant checkpoint in Roma's preparation for the new season under Gasperini's management. The head coach has selected a mixed squad that blends established first-team players with younger prospects, reflecting the club's approach to squad development during the off-season training schedule. The three-week pre-season programme continues to build fitness and tactical cohesion ahead of Serie A's return.

Roma have not completed any significant departures during the current transfer window, despite extensive speculation over outgoing moves. The club declined offers from Inter for Mancini and N'Dicka, from Juventus for Svilar (€42 million) and from Porto for Pisilli (€22 million). Atlético Madrid also made an offer for Koné, though Manchester United are reportedly interested in the midfielder. The decision to retain key players appears to have been made by the Friedkin Group at the request of head coach Gasperini, who wanted to maintain squad competitiveness. Roma needed to engineer profitable sales to address Financial Fair Play regulations with UEFA, following an extension of the compliance deadline. By allowing the 31 July transfer deadline to pass without moving on any of their leading talents, the club has deferred resolving this situation. As a result, Roma face disciplinary action from UEFA's headquarters in Nyon, with a ruling expected in November. The club anticipates a fine of €10–12 million and a restriction on squad size for European competitions in 2027–28, reducing the permitted roster from 25 to 22 players. More severe penalties — such as a ban on fielding newly signed players or exclusion from competitions — are considered unlikely.

Roma travelled to Wales on Thursday afternoon to begin the second phase of their pre-season preparation, based at the Vale Resort in Hensol until 8 August. The squad departed Rome's Fiumicino airport with a one-hour flight delay but arrived in Cardiff in the evening. Gian Piero Gasperini named seven young players for the camp: defenders Mannini, Nardin, Reale and Lulli, midfielders Panico and Bah, and forward Charubini. Midfielder Niccolò Pisilli, recovering from a soleus injury, also travelled with the group and will continue his rehabilitation. Director D'Amico did not travel, and defender Koulierakis will join after completing medical tests in Rome. Roma will conduct double training sessions and friendlies throughout the camp to assess their preparation. The first test comes at 16:00 Italian time today against Cardiff at Cardiff City Stadium. Gasperini is intent on building continuity from pre-season work at Trigoria and has no time to waste in constructing a strong season. The squad remains awaiting additional reinforcements from the transfer market.

Roma travelled to Wales on 31 July for the second phase of their summer training camp and face Cardiff City at 16:00 Italian time on 1 August, with head coach Gasperini able to call on two key midfielders for the friendly. Neil El Aynaoui has returned from an extended break following the Morocco World Cup campaign, which drew interest from several European clubs, and will feature in the Cardiff match. Pisilli is also in Wales but will not play today; he is recovering from a first-degree muscle injury to the soleus in his left leg sustained more than a week ago, which forced him to miss games against Trastevere and Cannes. His return to partial squad training is expected by mid-next week, with full availability for Gasperini to follow in the coming days. El Aynaoui struggled to win over Gasperini early in the 2025–26 season but became one of Roma's most influential players in the run-in, scoring once, recording an assist, and delivering an important performance in the derby in place of the injured Manu Koné. Koné is unavailable for the Wales trip, currently on holiday in Miami; Manchester United remain attentive, though the Red Devils have yet to submit a formal offer despite ongoing contact with his representatives.