Roma Complete Molina Deal: Argentine Defender Arrives Tomorrow

Gianluca Mancini is poised to lead Italy's defence in the upcoming match against Belgium, with the Roma centre-back a permanent fixture in Roberto Mancini's tactical drills at Coverciano. The Italian technical staff have been working primarily in a 4-3-3 formation, and the Roma defender has featured consistently alongside Di Lorenzo, Calafiori and Coppola in recent training sessions. Mancini's presence offers the squad stability, experience and continuity as the final preparations continue ahead of the team's departure for Rome. Meanwhile, Roma are monitoring Giorgi Kvernadze, the Frosinone winger, according to reports from Nicolò Schira and confirmed by Il Tempo. The 2003-born Georgian has produced five goals and two assists across Serie A and Coppa Italia in recent matches observed by Roma scouts. Napoli are also tracking the situation. In his early Roma career, Rodrigo Mora has spoken of his experience since arriving. On the adjustment to Italian football, he said: "It was a different change. I lived 19 years in Porto and played for Porto for 10 years. It's a different culture. But I'm happy with the change. It will be a positive change." Regarding his goal against Lecce in his second Roma appearance, Mora added: "I like scoring very much. Scoring for Roma was beautiful, but I want to score again at the Olimpico. It's special and I can't wait to score at the Olimpico. I'm happy with my journey so far. The atmosphere at the Olimpico is something really special and beautiful and it makes you want to play and score for Roma." Mora also reflected on his relationship with Paulo Dybala: "He's someone I admired as a child, now being able to play and train with him…seeing the things he does, that few do…He's a humble person and he's helped me a lot at the start of my Roma career. I like him as a player and as a person. I'm grateful to be able to play at his side."

Roma are monitoring Georgian forward Kvernadze ahead of the January transfer window, with the club looking to fill an attacking vacancy that remained unfilled in the summer. Kvernadze has scored 5 goals and provided 2 assists across league and cup this season, building on strong performances in Serie B last year, displaying physical presence, aggression and execution speed. An unexpected advantage in any pursuit is already in place at Trigoria: Alessandro Frara, the former youth academy director who arrived this summer from Frosinone, is working closely with sporting director Tony D'Amico and head coach Gian Piero Gasperini. Frara will have already briefed both the director and the coach on every aspect of the player, covering both personal background and purely tactical considerations. The financial margins of any deal remain unclear at present, though Frosinone could be approaching safety or close to it if they lose Kvernadze in January.

Roma have not filled the left-wing attacking position during the summer transfer window despite head coach Gian Piero Gasperini requesting the move since his arrival. The club is now focusing on younger targets for January or later, with Giorgi Kvernadze, the 23-year-old Georgian winger at Frosinone, emerging as a leading prospect. Kvernadze has delivered an outstanding start to the season with three goals and one assist in five matches. A natural left winger who shoots right-footed, the class of 2003 player can operate across the attacking line and could follow the same path as Matías Soulé, who moved from Frosinone to Roma. However, Napoli and Fiorentina are also tracking him. Director D'Amico has placed Kvernadze on a list of prospects representing a youth-focused approach, with comparisons being drawn to fellow Georgian Kvaratskhelia. The search for an attacking left winger has stretched across three transfer windows without success. Kvernadze could potentially repeat Soulé's trajectory from the Frosinone academy to the capital. Alongside Kvernadze, Roma are monitoring Darryl Bakola, an 18-year-old French midfielder at Sassuolo. The club had targeted Bakola last year before Sassuolo signed him from Marseille in January for €10 million. A box-to-box midfielder with technical ability and strong attacking projection, Bakola is being viewed by Gasperini and D'Amico as a comparable prospect to Manu Koné or as a future version of Ederson in his Atalanta days. Juventus, led by Sassuolo's former director Carnevali, are also competing for Bakola's signature. Roma will continue contact with both clubs in the coming weeks.

AS Roma have decided against releasing Paulo Dybala and Nahuel Molina for Lionel Messi's farewell Argentina match on 6 October, despite the striker and defender being among the 2022 World Cup winners Messi has requested for the special fixture against Benin. Three Roma players—Leonardo Balerdi, Matías Soulé and Santiago Castro—are already officially called up by Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni and will attend the event. Roma's caution stems from the timing and physical toll of the trip. The club faces a demanding fixture schedule immediately after Messi's game, beginning with a crucial away match at Como on 11 October that opens a stretch of nine fixtures in 27 days—a critical block of the season in which coach Gian Piero Gasperini intends to rely on Dybala at full fitness. The striker has made an impressive start to the campaign. The participation would require both Dybala and Molina to undertake two long transatlantic flights around the Serie A matchday, bringing inevitable consequences from jet lag, recovery times and tactical preparation. Although evaluations are officially ongoing, Roma's position is clear: players not included in Scaloni's official squad list will remain at the club's Trigoria training base to prepare for the resumption of Serie A.

Paulo Dybala is at the centre of a selection standoff as Argentina prepare for Lionel Messi's final international appearance on 6 October against Benin. Roma have signalled they do not want Dybala and fellow World Cup 2022 winner Nahuel Molina to travel for the match, despite calls from coach Scaloni to include them alongside the three Roma players already convoked — Leonardo Balerdi, Matías Soulé and Santiago Castro. The club's reluctance stems from the fixture congestion that follows. Roma return to action on 11 October for an away trip to Como, only five days after Messi's farewell and the start of a demanding run of nine matches in 27 days. Head coach Gian Piero Gasperini wants to deploy Dybala at full capacity during this critical period, and the dual intercontinental journeys would impose recovery, jet lag and preparation penalties ahead of the Lake Como fixture. The evaluation is ongoing, but Roma's position is clear: Argentine players not selected by Scaloni could genuinely remain at Trigoria.

Lionel Messi will mark his official retirement from international football on 6 October in a friendly against Benin at the Monumental stadium. He has invited all his teammates from Argentina's successful recent cycle, including Nahuel Molina and Paulo Dybala. Roma faces a fixture-scheduling dilemma. According to Corriere dello Sport, the travel costs and timing of the match — which falls shortly before Roma's Serie A return against Como — make Dybala's participation a financial and logistical burden. The club will make a final decision in the coming days.