Roma eye Stuttgart defender Zarrella, born 2008

Roma remain interested in Issa Doumbia, the midfielder now at Sporting Lisbon after his summer move from Venezia. Doumbia, born 2003, had already caught Roma's attention last summer, but Sporting's deal was already substantially agreed by then, and the Italian midfielder moved to Portugal directly from Serie B. He has recently made his debut for the Italian national team under coach Mancini. According to A Bola, Juventus, Newcastle and Brentford are also tracking Doumbia alongside Roma. Sporting Lisbon's intention, however, is clear: to secure the 2003-born player. The club has inserted a €80 million release clause into his contract to ward off interest.

Endrick came off the bench to inflict Real Madrid's comeback victory against Roma at the Olimpico on Wednesday night, turning the tables on a club that had pursued him extensively during the summer transfer window before Madrid refused to let him leave. The Brazilian, a 2006-born prospect, had started the season with just four minutes of action and his frustration was evident. For the entire summer Roma and Endrick came close to agreement, only for José Mourinho to block the deal from Madrid's end. Now, after a devastating half-hour display down the wing—dribbling and attacking that exhausted Mario Hermoso and Nahuel Molina before exposing Konstantinos Koulierakis—the landscape has shifted dramatically. Roma has maintained contact with Endrick's entourage throughout, aware that a January window reopening could provide a second opportunity to land the forward. Real Madrid invested in Endrick when he was still a teenager. The scenario, however, has now been altered by his commanding performance at the Olimpico, which made Mourinho's return to Roma all the more memorable. Roma will hope their strong interest in January can reignite a deal that slipped through their fingers in the summer.

Roma's collapse against Real Madrid on Wednesday exposed a critical weakness: the absence of potent attacking alternatives on the bench. José Mourinho was able to deploy Arda Güler, Carlos Espí and Endrick to reshape Madrid's attack and mount their comeback, while Gasperini had to manage a squad already stretched by the injuries of Koné and Dybala, limiting his ability to shift the match through substitutions. The disparity underscores gaps in Roma's summer recruitment and points to unmet requests from the coaching staff. The club's priority remains a left-sided attacking winger, preferably right-footed, capable of beating defenders, creating numerical superiority and offering a concrete alternative to the regular starters. Roma also needs a left-footed full-back to broaden the manager's tactical options. Endrick would have represented one of the most appealing opportunities, as he demonstrated against Madrid, but Mourinho has publicly restated his determination to keep the Brazilian, declaring that anyone wanting to take him away in January will have to "fight" with him—language that makes any deal particularly difficult. Inspection has turned to other targets. Jamie Gittens at Chelsea has accumulated only 56 minutes in official competitions this season and may be open to a move in the next transfer window due to limited opportunities. Jamie Leweling at Stuttgart decided to stay over the summer but has not secured a regular starting place; in the first five Bundesliga matches he started only once, though he played over seventy minutes in the last fixture against Paderborn. His situation remains unresolved. New names on the radar include Kvernadze and Van Bommel. Tony D'Amico's task in the coming weeks will be to assess which opportunities can materialise—either from targets already monitored in summer or from new situations involving discontented players, those with limited game time, or those who become suddenly available. In January, Roma will seek above all another signing in the mould of Malen: a ready-made reinforcement to slot into rotation and immediately strengthen attacking depth. Wednesday's match against Real highlighted once more how heavily alternatives can weigh, especially when a contest is decided in the final twenty minutes.