Roma Considering Player-Plus-Cash Offer for Fiorentina Striker Moise Kean

Matías Soulé made his Argentina debut on 3 October 2026 alongside Santiago Castro, a milestone that has drawn unwanted attention from Fabián Berlanga, president of Velez Sarsfield, the club where Soulé grew up before leaving for Juventus at age 16. Berlanga has called for severe sanctions against the Roma forward, saying: "Soulé as Argentina's new number 10 after Messi? No, he should instead face an exemplary punishment. For example, permanent exclusion from the possibility of ever wearing that shirt number, or from wearing the captain's armband. He is not a good example. We don't like when young players leave on a free transfer, but we know it's a battle to fight against agents, who sometimes act in bad faith." The animosity stems from 2019, when Soulé, then a teenager, exploited a legal provision for underage footballers to break his Velez contract and depart on a free transfer. Berlanga's grievance centres on how the player, his family and his representatives used the regulation to circumvent the club's interests. The comments represent a reopening of old tensions surrounding Soulé's youth-level exit from Argentina.

Roma and AC Milan are locked in a contest to sign Real Madrid forward Endrick in January, with the 19-year-old Brazilian having previously agreed terms with the Giallorossi in the summer before the deal collapsed. Sporting Director D'Amico and head coach Gasperini have not abandoned their pursuit and are preparing a fresh attempt. Milan, however, hold a significant advantage: the club has a partnership with Roc Nation, the agency representing Endrick's interests, since 2020—a relationship that has continued under current president Gerry Cardinale. Milan also brokered an agreement with Endrick over the summer before José Mourinho blocked a proposed loan move. Endrick has struggled for minutes at the Bernabéu despite Mourinho's assurances, strengthening Milan's hand as they sense they are in pole position over Roma. The Rossoneri will lean on their established relationship with Roc Nation and their existing ties with Real Madrid to attempt to secure the player in the coming months.

Giorgi Kvernadze's impressive start to the 2026-27 season at Frosinone has attracted attention from major Italian clubs ahead of the January transfer window, with Roma reportedly among those interested in the Georgian winger. Frosinone president Maurizio Stirpe has moved to dampen speculation, stating that Roma have made no formal approach. Gasperini is said to be keen on adding a right-footed attacking winger to his squad, and Kvernadze—a 2003-born prospect—fits that profile. However, Stirpe told Corriere della Sera: "Kvernadze's possible departure? As of now it's just chatter, I haven't received any phone calls. I am waiting only for official and concrete proposals."

Gian Piero Gasperini spoke at the Festival dello Sport on 2 October about the foundations of his Roma project, the character of his squad, and the club's ambitions this season. The coach outlined how he has built the team around a clear playing philosophy focused on taking the ball rather than waiting for opponents, and how he has shaped the personalities of senior players to match that vision. Gasperini praised his defensive line as "one of the best in Europe," highlighting Mario Hermoso and Gianluca Mancini as examples of players with both technical quality and the fighting spirit he demands. He also emphasised Bryan Cristante's importance as a player who sacrifices individual prominence for the collective good. On Paulo Dybala, Gasperini said the Argentine has enjoyed an exceptional start to the season with no injuries disrupting his availability: "He still has the enthusiasm to play football, you can see he is well. There have been years of physical fragility, with injuries that held him back. I always thought it was a training matter... He has remarkable fibre, he started training properly and this start to the season is extraordinary. He doesn't miss a minute." Gasperini suggested Dybala's reluctance to shoot from distance stems from past injuries but believes he will regain that ability soon. On young players, Gasperini explained his approach to developing Emanuele Lulli and Niccolò Pisilli. He brought Lulli into the first team after observing his characteristics in pre-season training. Regarding Gianluca Romano, whom Roma have sold, Gasperini said: "Another young player grown in Roma, very interesting. I was sorry he was excessively criticised after his first Nazionale match, but it is adults who must be more cautious in their judgements. Romano's sale is a capital gain; often societies are forced to sell young players, this is not a good thing. In football the finest jewels must be allowed to grow." On Donyell Malen's arrival and early goal-scoring form, Gasperini explained: "At times planets align and things happen you think are unrealisable. We needed a striker because Dovbyk was injured. There were several names, then I came to know of this opportunity. He was leaving Aston Villa for a tactical reason, he wanted to play as a centre-forward and I have always thought he must play in the penalty area. This his ability to make three very quick touches is his weapon." When asked if Malen could match the 36-goal tallies of Gonzalo Higuaín and Ciro Immobile, Gasperini replied: "I hope so, I've told him that to motivate him... If he reaches 30 goals I would be happy anyway." On Roma's prospects and the atmosphere at the club, Gasperini said: "It was a very positive surprise; outside Rome it is described as an environment that swings back and forth. I found passion and enthusiasm, beautiful but also mature attachment. At this moment the fans are happy and recognise themselves in this squad, then clearly the maximum result would be extraordinary. But the environment is beautiful, there is a desire to play well to enthuse them." He also commented on the new stadium project, saying he had seen the rendering and it was "fantastic" but that the Olimpico in Roma's colours is already "beautiful, though the stands are far from the pitch." Regarding Roma's centenary in 2027, when the first stone of the new stadium will be laid, Gasperini reflected: "A hundred years is a milestone of experience and for me also of emotion. Think of how many people have carried this society forward, how many fans have dedicated their lives to Roma. You must carry all the history without renouncing it, to have an even better future. Roma's second centenary will be even more beautiful than the first."

Gian Piero Gasperini spoke at the Trento Sports Festival on 2 October, discussing the foundations he has laid at Roma since his appointment and his vision for the season ahead. The Roma head coach outlined his tactical philosophy and explained how he has worked with the squad over the early weeks of the 2026–27 campaign. "My objective was to create something new, to lay new foundations straight away," Gasperini said. "We never spoke about my past; we had to create something new, based on new concepts of play that were different from what several players were used to. There are two ways in football: waiting for your opponent to lose the ball, or the other way—going to take it. This was the first concept, not to wait for the opponent, and everything else came from that." Gasperini praised his defensive options, singling out Mario Hermoso and Gianluca Mancini as key figures. He described the defence as his "gladiators," adding that Mile Svilar and Evan N'Dicka have been among Europe's best in recent months. On Mancini specifically, Gasperini revealed he had worked to improve the centre-back's attitude: "I knew Mancini, but when I was his opponent I'd think to myself, 'Why is he so unpleasant?' and I tried to tell him straight away, 'Look, this is hurting you—for many years you haven't gone to the national team because of these attitudes.' It was the first thing I worked on. He had a fantastic season, people started talking about Mancini as a player again, and he's returned to the national team." Gasperini offered extensive insight into Paulo Dybala's resurgence, attributing the Argentine forward's improved fitness to his training methods. "He's started as hasn't happened to him for years. I knew him at Palermo when he was very young; many years have passed but he, like all great players, still has enthusiasm and strength," Gasperini explained. "He had years of physical fragility. I thought it was a training issue. Many told me he had silk muscles, that I had to preserve him, and he kept getting injured. He has remarkable fibre; some injuries were random. This season's start is extraordinary physically. He doesn't miss a minute of training or matches. This shows what I've always believed: through training you can improve durability and performances." Regarding Dybala's reluctance to shoot from distance, Gasperini noted: "That's a legacy we'll get over soon. He got injured shooting with Milan and Torino last year and it stayed with him. Now he's overcoming it; he stopped sprinting and to see him jumping past opponents again... we'll return to shooting like before." When asked if he has coached better poets than Dybala, Gasperini responded: "I have a long career and have trained many strong players. Dybala is among the top, if not the absolute top. Ilicic and the Papu too—they're poets because they touch different strings from everyone else." Gasperini discussed young academy prospects Emanuele Lulli and Niccolò Pisilli, explaining his approach to youth development: "I grew up in the youth sector, coaching 11-year-olds through to the Primavera. I've maintained that approach and it's taught me to see the boy not as something to evaluate but as something to imagine how he might become. Pisilli already had value and experience; Lulli wasn't even always a starter in the Primavera. I have the habit of bringing a few boys from Primavera into training. I saw important characteristics in him and this year I brought him to the retreat. He played against Borussia Dortmund, a demanding match. These are the boys who tell you by how they play if they're ready. The answers come from watching them on the pitch." On Bryan Cristante, Gasperini confirmed a knee injury: "He had a knee problem but when you play many matches, if you're out two weeks you risk missing five matches. He'll miss the first games but will recover quickly." Donyell Malen's arrival was described as unexpected: "Sometimes the planets align and things happen you don't think about. He was a known player; we'd had a friendly where I saw his characteristics. These things happen during the market where you sometimes don't plan anything. We were looking for a striker because Dovbyk and Ferguson were injured. There were several names and suddenly I learned of this opportunity. He was leaving Aston Villa for tactical reasons; he wanted to be a centre-forward and I've always seen those characteristics in him. He has three fundamental touches—the closer he is to the box, the more deadly he is."

Gian Piero Gasperini spoke at the ninth edition of Il Festival dello Sport in Trento alongside new Roma CEO Galantic, discussing the club's strong start to the season and his first months in charge. The coach explained his vision from day one: "My objective was to create something new, to lay new foundations immediately. We never spoke of my past—we had to build something fresh, founded on new concepts of play that were different from what several players were used to. There are two ways in football: waiting for the opponent to lose the ball or going to take it. This was the first concept, not waiting for the opponent, and everything else stemmed from that." Gasperini praised his defence, singling out Gianluca Mancini and Mario Hermoso as standouts. On Mancini specifically: "I knew him, but when I was his opponent I'd think 'why is he so disagreeable?' and I told him straight away 'this penalises you—for years you haven't gone to the national team because of these attitudes.' It was the first thing I worked on. He had a fantastic season, people started talking about Mancini as a player again, and he returned to the Nazionale." Hermoso, he said, brought defensive grit combined with Spanish quality and important experience from his time at Atlético Madrid. Gasperini also highlighted Mile Svilar and Evan N'Dicka, noting they had been Europe's best defence for months. On Paulo Dybala's remarkable form, Gasperini revealed his belief that the Argentine's previous injury problems stemmed from training rather than fragility. "Lots of people told me he has silk muscles, that I had to preserve him, and he kept getting injured. He has remarkable fibre—some injuries were just bad luck. This season's start is extraordinary physically. He doesn't miss a minute of training or a match. It's proof of what I always believed: through training you can improve resilience and performance." When asked if Dybala's recent shot from distance showed progress, Gasperini explained: "That's a legacy we're overcoming soon. Last year he hurt himself shooting against Milan and Torino and it stayed with him. Now he's getting past it—he wasn't sprinting anymore and to see him jumping over opponents again is great. Soon we'll be back to shooting like before." He also offered high praise for Dybala's overall quality: "My career is long and I've coached many strong players. Dybala is among the top, if not the absolute top. Ilicic and the Papu too—they're poets because they touch chords different from everyone else." Gasperini discussed some younger squad members who have impressed him. On Emanuele Lulli, who was not always a starter in the Primavera: "I have the habit of bringing some young players from the Primavera into training. I saw important characteristics in him and this year brought him to the retreat. He played against Borussia Dortmund, a challenging match. The young players tell you through how they play if they're ready. The answers come from watching them on the pitch." He also defended recent criticism of another academy product: "It's another young man who grew through our youth system. He's very interesting. I was sorry about what happened last week—it seemed we'd found the player to fix the Nazionale and then he was excessively criticised. Perhaps it's the adults who need to stay calm in their judgment." On Santiago Castro's arrival, Gasperini said: "Sometimes the planets align and things happen you don't plan. He was a known player—we had a friendly where I saw his characteristics. The market is a place where sometimes you don't plan anything. We were looking for a striker because Dovbyk and Ferguson were injured. There were several names and suddenly I learned of this opportunity. He was leaving Aston Villa for tactical reasons; he wanted to be a centre-forward and I've always seen those qualities in him. He has three fundamental touches, and the closer he is to the box the more lethal he is." When pressed on whether Castro could surpass Gonzalo Higuaín's records, Gasperini said: "I said that to motivate him—I'm joking a bit. Let's say if he reaches 30 I'm happy." Gasperini reflected on his decision to leave Atalanta for Roma, calling it a major turning point in his career—comparable only to his shift from playing to management and his move to Crotone in Serie C. "I arrived with the conviction it was something owed rather than wanted, and that it was time to cross the Rubicon. You do it with lots of doubts, but you know when you make that choice you don't go back, and it's gone well." On the season's challenges ahead, he rejected the idea of being solely focused on rivals: "I always look at our path. Depending on the moment, Hannibal could be someone else. Before it was Juventus, now perhaps Inter, who is the best team in Italy. If you always chase the strongest you can lose yourself. The objective is to look at ourselves and improve."

Matías Soulé made his senior debut for Argentina in a friendly against Burkina Faso, a moment the Roma forward said he had been waiting for a long time. Santiago Castro also made his first appearance for the national team in the same match. Soulé will return to Trigoria ahead of Roma's fixtures against Como and Real Madrid. The 21-year-old has impressed during his time at Roma and earned his call-up as a reward for his performances. He spoke of the significance of finally representing his country at senior level, describing it as a dream realised with his family present for the occasion. At the end of the match, Soulé told Tyc Sports: "Yes, today it arrived. The truth is it's a dream. My whole family is here and it's an enormous emotion, I was waiting for this moment for a long time." On his form at Roma, he said: "Yes, obviously. I always gave everything to be able to be here. It's a dream to be here, it's a unique sensation. I was talking with some team-mates: being here is something magical. I'm really very happy, my whole family is here and now I want to enjoy this moment that I was waiting for a long time." On advice from team-mates, Soulé explained: "I always talk with him. Paulo told me to stay calm, like Molina who stayed in Rome together with Paulo. They obviously know the national team very well, I always listen to their advice."

Matías Soulé made his official Argentina debut on the night of 3 October 2026 in the match against Burkina Faso, speaking afterwards of his emotions and the advice he received from Roma teammates Paulo Dybala and Nahuel Molina ahead of the fixture. Soulé, who has had a strong season with Roma, described the occasion as a lifelong aspiration realised. The winger has worked consistently to earn his Argentina call-up and spoke of the magical feeling of representing his country, with his family present to witness the milestone. Both Dybala and Molina, who remained at Roma together, offered counsel before the match, drawing on their own extensive experience with the national team. Speaking to Tyc Sports, Soulé said: "Yes, it has arrived today. The truth is that it is a dream. My whole family is here and it is a huge emotion. I have been waiting for this moment for such a long time." On his Roma form, he reflected: "Yes, obviously. I have always given everything to be able to be here. It is a dream to be here, it is a unique sensation. I was talking about it with some teammates: being here is something magical. I am really very happy, my whole family is here and now I want to enjoy this moment that I have been waiting for such a long time." Asked about Dybala's counsel, Soulé explained: "I always talk with him. Paulo told me to stay calm, as Molina did—he stayed at Roma together with Paulo. They obviously know the national team very well, and I always listen to their advice."

Gian Piero Gasperini is already planning Roma's January window despite the club sitting top of the table with a functioning attack led by Dybala and Malen. Between appearances at the Trento Festival and work at Trigoria, Roma are targeting reinforcements in the attacking department, focusing on players currently struggling for minutes at their clubs. A conversation between CEO Galantic and Gasperini at the festival underscores Roma's philosophy of planning winter moves in advance. Roma's priority remains a quality wide forward, with evaluation also ongoing into a more complete profile like Oosterwolde. Four players already tracked in the summer transfer window remain in the club's sights: Gittens, Leweling, Luiz Henrique and Endrick. The common thread linking them is a shortage of regular playing time. Gittens, a Gasperini favourite, has yet to debut in the Premier League. Leweling plays only sporadic minutes at Stuttgart and was excluded from the initial squad list under new national team coach Klopp. Luiz Henrique remains blocked in Russia by bureaucratic issues that have also cost him national team call-ups. Endrick's situation is the most delicate. Mourinho secured him at Real Madrid over the summer, but the Brazilian has virtually disappeared: just four minutes across La Liga and the Champions League combined. That picture of underuse could shift as soon as November, when UEFA will make decisions on the Settlement Agreement, opening new scenarios potentially favourable to Roma heading into the winter market.

Vincent Candela, the former Roma defender, has predicted that Roma will defeat Real Madrid in their upcoming Champions League fixture at the Olimpico in ten days' time. Speaking at the FIP Gold Mediolanum Padel Cup in Perugia, Candela based his forecast not on sentiment but on tactical analysis, saying: "I think Roma will win. I'm not saying that as a fan, but because I look at the characteristics of Gasperini's squad and the comparison with Mourinho's." Candela believes the encounter will be tactically engaging. "It will certainly be a beautiful match from a tactical point of view; Gasperini and Fabregas are two different coaches, but both have a very precise personality," he said. The clash comes after Roma drew 2–2 with Inter at home, a result Candela felt had boosted morale. He noted that Inter had not managed to win and claimed the draw gave Roma "even more drive, confidence and awareness." Candela also voiced strong confidence in forward Donyell Malen, whom Gasperini has deployed differently from his usual role. "I believe a lot in Malen: he is strong, dynamic, sees the goal and is concrete. I think he will reach beyond 20 goals and will have a great season," Candela said. On the league title race, he assessed Inter as favourites, with Roma positioned as their closest challenger ahead of Como.

Former Roma defender Candela has backed the Giallorossi to win their upcoming Champions League match against Real Madrid. Speaking at the FIP Gold Mediolanum Padel Cup in Perugia, Candela expressed confidence in Gasperini's squad, saying: "I think Roma will win." He qualified the prediction as more than just fan sentiment: "I don't say it as a fan, but because I look at the characteristics of Gasperini's team and the comparison with Mourinho's." Roma arrive at the league break in first place with four wins and a draw — the 2–2 result against Inter at the Olimpico. Candela believes that match demonstrated Roma's potential and gave the team "even more drive, confidence and self-awareness." He rates Inter as still the favourites for the Serie A title, with Roma as their closest challengers and Como further back. The next league fixture is against Como, which Candela described as "certainly a beautiful match from a tactical point of view; Gasperini and Fabregas are two different managers, but both have very clear personalities." Candela also made a bold prediction about forward Donyell Malen, whose form has impressed this season. "I believe very much in Malen: he is strong, dynamic, he sees the goal and is clinical," Candela said. "I think he will reach more than 20 goals and will have a great season." The Real Madrid match at the Olimpico is scheduled for ten days' time and Candela called it "a celebration": a Champions League night at home.

Head coach Gian Piero Gasperini has reviewed his opening months at Roma in a question-and-answer exchange with La Gazzetta dello Sport, identifying the most emotionally significant match, the most difficult fixture and the player who most impressed him. Gasperini named Roma's league match against Verona as the most moving experience since his arrival. "I'd say the last league game against Verona, because the feeling of having reached an important milestone, with great satisfaction from the fans," he said. The reference is to Roma's qualification for the Champions League, which Gasperini regards as one of the highest points of his time at the club. When asked about the hardest match, Gasperini acknowledged that every fixture presents difficulties but singled out Roma's away game at Inter Milan last season as the moment of deepest decline: "They're all difficult. The most difficult was when Roma was at its lowest against Inter in Milan last year. But the last one we played was on another level entirely." On players who have surprised him, Gasperini chose Donyell Malen, whose goalscoring impact has exceeded even the coach's expectations. "Certainly the number of goals Malen has scored is something nobody could have imagined," Gasperini said. "The rest have all been very positive surprises." Gasperini has previously teased Malen about the possibility of approaching Gonzalo Higuaín's Serie A record of 36 goals. When asked which player he would have liked to coach during his career, Gasperini gave a single-word answer: "Messi."