Roma begin second phase of summer training camp at Vale Resort under Gasperini

Roma have closed their first phase of summer preparation at Trigoria and are flying to Wales this afternoon, where they will base themselves at Vale Resort in Hensol until 8 August. The club will prepare for the upcoming season at the luxury facility, which sits 20 minutes from Cardiff by car and has previously hosted Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal and Real Madrid. Head coach Gian Piero Gasperini now has Neil El Aynaoui available after the midfielder returned to Rome following the World Cup with Morocco, providing extra midfield cover with Pisilli sidelined by injury and Koné absent following his World Cup break. Roma's Welsh camp will feature three pre-season friendlies. They face Cardiff at Cardiff City Stadium at 15:00 local time tomorrow, then host Newport at Rodney Parade on 4 August—Newport will wear a special kit for the occasion—before closing the trip against Brighton at the American Express Stadium. The final preparation before the season opener will come against Borussia Dortmund on 15 August. Gasperini continues to integrate recent signings, with new arrival Castro having completed his first training session yesterday. The squad selection for Wales will be announced this morning and is expected to include some Primavera youth players who have featured in recent friendlies.

Greek centre-back Konstantinos Koulierakis is poised to become AS Roma's second reinforcement for the 2026–27 season. The 22-year-old defender, born in La Canea on Crete, has established himself as a cornerstone of Wolfsburg's defence in the Bundesliga after the club paid approximately €12 million to secure him from PAOK Thessaloniki in summer 2024. He made his PAOK senior debut on 20 August 2022 and earned his Greece international cap within three months. Koulierakis stands 1.88 metres tall and weighs around 78 kg, combining physical presence with explosive pace over short distances—a crucial asset for modern defending. Despite five managerial changes across two seasons at Wolfsburg, he has become a mainstay in their backline, demonstrating strong leadership qualities. His left foot is a standout technical asset; he is capable of constructing play from the back with both short passes and long distribution, reminiscent of a midfielder's range. He has performed as a left-side centre-back in three-defender setups and as a left-centre defender in four-man defences. Koulierakis excels in the air both defensively and offensively. In his debut Bundesliga campaign he recorded no goals, but last season he netted four headers—a tally matched only by Gianluca Mancini among defenders in Europe's top five leagues, where only Virgil van Dijk surpassed him with five. Koulierakis will turn 23 on 28 November.

Roma radio commentators have outlined the club's remaining transfer priorities, with consensus that an important player departure is necessary before the window closes. Pes stated: "It seems difficult for Roma to close the market without an important sale. The focus now is on arrivals, but offers need to come in to move players out: so far nothing has arrived for either Koné or Soulé." Roma have already spent 35 million euros on Castro and 15 million on new Greek defender Koulierakis, who will join the squad after administrative procedures are completed. Torri reported that Milan could be interested in Soulé, with a potential swap involving Saelemaekers; Roma have reportedly sought a profile matching Saelemaekers' type. Earlier, Roma had reached an offer of 50 million euros for Summerville, though that figure would push total outlay toward 100 million when combined with recent signings. Pruzzo suggested there is only a 10 per cent chance of Nusa joining Roma, as negotiations have dragged on and the player has market options elsewhere. Castro is expected to feature immediately, with Gasperini likely to deploy two forwards against four-back defences.