Roma fined €6m by UEFA as Greenwood move accelerates

Roma are making a new push to sign Jamie Gittens from Chelsea as sporting director D'Amico works to complete Gasperini's attacking options following the collapse of the Leweling deal. The Leweling move fell through after the player rejected Roma following an agreement with Stuttgart. Roma are structuring a proposal around a loan deal worth €5 million with a right of purchase set at approximately €55 million, bringing the overall package to €60 million. Chelsea have consistently demanded an outright transfer, but the comprehensive package being tabled could shift the dynamic in these final hours of the transfer window. Roma are still seeking the green light from the English club.

Roma are making a fresh attempt to sign Chelsea winger Jamie Bynoe-Gittens on the final night of the transfer window. The key development is Chelsea's reported willingness to consider a loan formula that Roma has been pursuing throughout the summer. The deal would see Bynoe-Gittens arrive on a paid loan worth approximately €5 million, with a right of purchase set at around €55 million. This structure would allow Roma to bring in the player immediately without bearing the full upfront cost of the transfer fee. Bynoe-Gittens, born in 2004, has been one of Roma's priority targets in the latter stages of the window as they continue hunting for an attacking winger. The Gittens track remains very much alive heading into the final hours of the market, with Roma keeping several options open. The club had previously worked on bringing him in but had not secured Chelsea's backing for the loan-with-purchase-option structure until now. With the window entering its closing stages and the Leweling prospect reportedly fading, Roma are waiting to see whether Chelsea will finally grant the approval necessary to complete one of the summer's major objectives. The €5 million loan fee and €55 million purchase option represent a compromise that could unlock the deal in the dying moments of the transfer period.

Jamie Leweling has declined to open the door to a Roma move despite intensive negotiations on 31 August, leaving the giallorossi's hopes of completing a deal in tatters. Roma and Stuttgart had reportedly reached an agreement, but the German winger refused to give the club the go-ahead, catching general manager D'Amico off-guard at a moment when Roma believed the operation was on the brink of completion. The collapse of the Leweling pursuit also freezes the parallel track: Luiz Henrique, the Brazilian forward for whom Roma already held agreements with both Zenit and the player himself, remains in limbo while the club pivoted to prioritise the Stuttgart negotiations. Roma had restructured their approach after an initial loan-with-obligation-to-buy proposal was rejected. The club tabled a fresh offer worth €30 million plus €5 million in bonuses, coupled with a contract through to 2031, but Leweling has resisted commitment to his future. The 22-year-old is weighing competing interest from Premier League clubs—Everton and Liverpool among them—while a stay at Stuttgart remains an option he has not ruled out. Head coach Gian Piero Gasperini was waiting for Roma to deliver an attacking winger, and Leweling had climbed the priority list over Henrique in what was shaping as a crucial final push of the window. Sources Gianluca Di Marzio and Fabrizio Romano reported that Roma held fresh discussions with Stuttgart throughout 31 August in an attempt to bridge the gap on structure and financial terms, following the rejection of an earlier giallorossi proposal in preceding days. The two clubs had moved into what was described as a very hot phase of negotiation. Roma's sporting director D'Amico had been convinced the Leweling deal could be closed, with a response expected either by evening on 31 August or by the morning of 1 September at the latest. Sky Sport Germany's Dennis Bayer confirmed Leweling had asked for time to reflect on his future and had not yet communicated his decision. With Leweling's rejection, the Henrique option—which offers Roma a ready-made agreement with both club and player—returns to the table as a fallback. The article makes clear the Leweling operation is now destined to collapse entirely.

Roma head coach Gian Piero Gasperini has identified a striker and a left-back as the remaining pieces needed to complete the squad ahead of tomorrow's away fixture at Lecce. Gasperini said: "To complete the team we need a piece that closes that section. A left-back and a forward have remained. Lulli has filled in somewhat, I have always believed in him, he is giving important responses but we cannot load such large responsibilities on him. Last season we had Angeliño, Tsimikas, Çelik, Wesley and also Rensch." Gasperini has most of his squad available for the trip to Via del Mare, with Lorenzo Pellegrini and Devyne Rensch expected to return to group training next week. Leonardo Balerdi was officially confirmed as a new arrival this morning, joining fellow recent additions Konstantinos Koulierakis, Rodrigo Mora, Santiago Castro and Nahuel Molina among the squad.

Gian Piero Gasperini defended Roma's transfer approach at his pre-match press conference on 22 August, two days before the Serie A opener against Fiorentina at the Olimpico. The coach confirmed that UEFA financial regulations have forced a strategic shift in the market, compounding constraints that stem from years of previous spending. "The profile is only that of UEFA; there are no other possibilities," Gasperini said. "There are situations that UEFA imposes and from which our ownership, even wanting to, cannot escape. I thought that after six months or with arrival in the Champions League the situation would be resolved, but it is not so." Gasperini emphasised that Roma remain the only Italian club currently under UEFA supervision. "Roma has already had two deferrals and probably cannot have any more," he noted. "Now the reckoning has arrived, but we will do well anyway." Despite those constraints, he expressed satisfaction with arrivals in the window. Álex Molina replaced Zeki Çelik after winning the World Cup two months earlier; Christos Koulierakis joined as a defensive profile the squad lacked; and Rodrigo Mora arrived as a young long-term investment. Artem Dovbyk and Evan Ferguson departed, replaced by Mateo Castro. El Shaarawy, Bryan Zaragoza, Angeliño and Kostas Tsimikas also left. Gasperini stated: "All the players who arrived have strongly wanted to come to Roma. They have also reduced their salaries—and under this aspect I believe very positive work has been done. There are still ten days of the market left and we hope to complete everything." On the left wing position that Roma had pursued, Gasperini offered flexibility: "Only if he can be added value, otherwise I am not going to load myself with players just for the sake of it." Numerically, two squad slots remain available from a full complement of 23. He praised Paulo Dybala, Lorenzo Pellegrini and Bryan Cristante for accepting significant wage cuts. On Dybala's fitness prospects, Gasperini said: "I am certain, because I see him not only determined as he was last year but also particularly strong. He completed a pre-season perhaps for the first time without injuries." Dybala suffered two serious injuries last season—one requiring meniscus surgery that sidelined him for three and a half months. Gasperini stated that further squad exits may follow only if they represent tactical switches rather than pure departures. "If there are other exits it is only for changes, to switch," he said. "In this moment there is nothing certain." The window closes in ten days. Roma finished last season on 73 points and third place in Serie A, but Gasperini stressed the slate resets: "Every year you start from zero. What was done was very positive and satisfactory for all, but when the season starts everyone begins at 0 points and the 73 points from last year must be played again."

Roma's head coach Gian Piero Gasperini addressed the squad ahead of the Serie A season opener against Fiorentina in two days at the Stadio Olimpico. The club has registered four new arrivals and still has two squad slots available for the 23 permitted by UEFA. Gasperini outlined the summer changes: Molina, the World Cup winner who reached the final two months ago, has come in as a replacement for the departed Evan Ferguson; Dovbyk and Ferguson have left while Castro has arrived; Koulierakis joined to fill a gap in defence; and Mora completed the signings. El Shaarawy, Venturino and Zaragoza have also departed since May. Angeliño and Kostas Tsimikas have left, with Gasperini hoping replacements arrive. The coach stressed that wage costs have been reduced by necessity and said he remains hopeful of further progress in the remaining ten days of the window. "Ridurremo dunque sicuramente la rosa, cercando di renderla però più competitiva," he said, adding that all new signings wanted the club strongly. On the prospect of promoting youth, Gasperini highlighted Mora as particularly significant: "Mora è un ragazzo giovanissimo che ha già raggiunto numeri importanti. Due anni fa al Porto ha raggiunto dieci gol." The coach described the young forward as an important investment for the future with the characteristics to emerge and perform well.

Gian Piero Gasperini will return to Lecce on 31 August having twice visited the Via del Mare in circumstances that left deep frustration. On both occasions—after Roma victories at Lecce and later at the Olimpico—Gasperini skipped the post-match press conferences, his silence masking mounting tensions over the club's transfer activity and squad injuries. The January 2025 visit came during a transfer window when Roma desperately sought a striker; Evan Ferguson scored in a 2–0 win but suffered an ankle injury weeks later, while Artem Dovbyk also scored before injury forced him to undergo surgery. Gasperini's frustration centred on sporting director Massara, whom he felt was moving too slowly in the market, particularly in securing a left winger with a right foot—a need that persists to this day. The tensions that erupted at Lecce deepened significantly after Roma travelled to Turin. Claudio Ranieri was appointed to stabilize the situation, but the arrival of another authority figure widened the rift rather than healed it. Massara and then Ranieri departed; Gasperini ultimately secured the head coach position. The squad then delivered an exceptional run of form that culminated in third place and qualification for the Champions League. The manager's mood has improved substantially since those turbulent January weeks. According to reporting by Alessandro Angeloni in Il Messaggero, Gasperini overturned tables at the Via del Mare in his rage and blamed Massara for the slow pace of business. Donyell Malen's arrival in the winter window proved transformative, helping to spark the turnaround. Roma arrive in Lecce having rebuilt their trajectory and secured European football at the continent's highest level.

The Champions League league-phase draw on 27 August paired Roma with eight opponents across the competition's opening phase, featuring two former Roma managers now in charge of Europe's elite: José Mourinho at Real Madrid and Luis Enrique at Paris Saint-Germain. The draw shapes Roma's European path from 8 September to 27 January under head coach Gian Piero Gasperini. Roma's return to the Champions League comes after seven seasons away. Real Madrid and PSG, both seeded in the first pot, headline the fixture list. From the second pot, Roma drew Sporting Lisbon (home), Manchester United (away at Old Trafford), Fenerbahçe (away), and AEK Athens (away). Lille and Slovan Bratislava complete the eight, both at home. The tie against Lille offers a potential redemption: Roma missed three penalties in last season's Europa League fixture against the French club, including a double failure by Artem Dovbyk and another by Matías Soulé. Mourinho will return to the Stadio Olimpico with Real Madrid. The draw has constructed a fixture list combining Roma's ambitions in European football's premier competition with the nostalgic dimension of facing two managers who shaped the club's recent history—Mourinho's tenure yielding markedly different results from Luis Enrique's time in Rome.

Roma's return to the UEFA Champions League after seven seasons will be marked by two fixtures against former managers. The league-phase draw, made on 27 August 2026, paired Roma with José Mourinho's Real Madrid and Luis Enrique's Paris Saint-Germain—both first-tier opponents. Real Madrid will visit the Olimpico, bringing Mourinho back before Roma's supporters for the first time since his departure. The fixture calendar and exact dates will be announced on 29 August. Gasperini's side qualified for the competition by finishing third in Serie A last season. The draw has given them eight opponents across the league phase, which runs from 8 September to 27 January. Beyond the two former managers, Roma face a testing itinerary: they will host Sporting Lisbon and Lille, travel to Old Trafford to face Manchester United, and also play away fixtures at Fenerbahçe and AEK Athens. Slovan Bratislava completes the home fixtures. The clash against Lille offers Roma a chance for redemption after last season's Europa League campaign. They suffered three penalty misses in that competition against the French side: Artem Dovbyk failed twice, followed by an error from Matías Soulé. Roma's European journey will test whether Gasperini can navigate both the grandeur of the Champions League stage and the emotional weight of facing Mourinho and Luis Enrique.