Roma part ways with Massara; D'Amico to take over as sporting director

Andy Diaz, the Cuban triple jumper competing for Italy, leapt 18.15m on Saturday evening in Birmingham to claim the European Athletics Championships gold medal and move fourth on the all-time list. The jump falls 14 centimetres short of Jonathan Edwards's world record of 18.29m, set in 1995. Diaz, 30, said in the mixed zone: "Sto arrivando, Jonathan. Se prima dubitavi, ora non dubiti più" (I'm coming, Jonathan. If you doubted before, you don't now). He acknowledged his technique differs from Edwards: "Quello che faceva Edwards era bellissimo. Non si vedeva allo stacco, era lineare nel suo movimento quasi unico e senza perdere velocità. Io rimbalzo troppo, troppo da cubano" (What Edwards did was beautiful. You couldn't see the takeoff, his movement was linear, almost unique, without losing speed. I bounce too much, too Cuban). Diaz has built a new life in Italy since gaining citizenship, working with coach Fabrizio Donato, whom he first met at the 2018 indoor world championships in Birmingham. He won bronze at the Paris Olympics, a European indoor title, two world indoor gold medals, and now this European outdoor gold. Diaz was promised a showdown with rival Pichardo at the Lausanne meeting on August 21. The athlete and his mother and grandmother run a fishery in Rome; it is closed for holidays until August 28. He plans to pursue victories at the Lausanne meeting and the Diamond League finals, though he noted that triple jump inexplicably does not feature in the Ultimate Championship in Budapest that will close the season.

Roma have renewed their pursuit of Rodrigo Mora and significantly improved their offer after two days of negotiations, with the Portuguese club poised to receive €25 million upfront plus a 50% sell-on clause on any future transfer. Director D'Amico and head coach Gasperini are pressing to fill a vacancy at left-winger, a position Roma have lacked for more than a year. Mora remained on the bench for the full 90 minutes in Rio Ave's match yesterday evening and is now within touching distance of joining the club. The latest contacts between Roma and Rio Ave have been positive, according to Fabrizio Romano. Roma's transfer activity continues through the August recess, underlining the urgency placed on securing a wide player. The structure of the deal—€25 million immediate payment with half of any future sale retained by Rio Ave—reflects the clubs' progress towards an agreement after the recent stalemate.

Arsenal have left Gabriel Martinelli out of their Community Shield squad to face Manchester City today, signalling the club's willingness to offload the 25-year-old Brazilian forward. Roma have identified Martinelli as a potential target after he fell out of favour at the Emirates Stadium last season, though he has already rejected an approach from Galatasaray in favour of remaining in Europe's top five leagues. Gian Piero Gasperini is seeking to bolster Roma's attacking options following the club's return to the Champions League for the first time since 2018–19. Roma have already missed out on Crysencio Summerville, who joined Al-Hilal, while their pursuit of Strasbourg's Diego Moreira remains complicated. Martinelli's availability is being considered as an alternative, though the move carries significant uncertainty given that Matías Soulé could leave the Stadio Olimpico. Despite losing his starting position at Arsenal, Martinelli would represent a major signing for Roma, bringing Premier League experience and proven goalscoring ability. However, any deal would require substantial investment. Martinelli's contract expires next summer, but it may take up to €40 million to complete the transfer. Arteta's decision to exclude him from today's squad suggests Arsenal are prepared to negotiate his departure.

Paulo Dybala has consolidated his status as Roma's cornerstone player despite an injury-depleted forward line under Gian Piero Gasperini. The club initially weighed the possibility of parting with the Argentine at the end of his contract, mindful of his €8 million net annual salary in the 2025–26 season and the 21 matches he missed due to physical problems. However, a contract extension through 2027, confirmed on 13 July, resolved all doubts. Dybala accepted a 70% salary reduction to remain in giallorosso colours, demonstrating his deep attachment to the club. With Stephan El Shaarawy departing on a free transfer, Lorenzo Venturino and Bryan Zaragoza returning to their parent clubs, and Lorenzo Pellegrini sidelined by injury, Dybala and Matías Soulé carry almost the entire responsibility for the attacking midfield role. His experience proves invaluable ahead of Roma's European campaign: Dybala's 53 Champions League appearances make him the squad's most seasoned European player, ahead of Nahuel Molina (37 appearances), Donyell Malen and Mario Hermoso (31 each). Against Borussia Dortmund in a friendly on 15 August at 17:30, Dybala is set once again to lead the team on the pitch, confirming his status as both a technical and commercial pillar of the club.

Roma take on Borussia Dortmund in a pre-season friendly at 17:30 today, but the clash is overshadowed by an injury crisis that has left Gian Piero Gasperini with just 23 players available — only 16 outfield players and three goalkeepers. Wesley suffered a right ankle sprain yesterday, joining Niccolò Pisilli (soleus injury) and Lorenzo Pellegrini (returning to group training in mid-September) on the sidelines. The Brazilian's injury mirrors problems sustained during the Welsh training camp. With 15 days remaining in the summer transfer window, Roma's squad position has deteriorated markedly. Eight players have departed — Dovbyk, Ferguson, Angeliño, Tsimikas, Celik, Zaragoza, Venturino and El Shaarawy — while only three signings have arrived: Molina, Castro and Koulierakis. Gasperini highlighted the shortage with a pointed response on competitiveness versus last season: "According to you?", underlining particular weaknesses on the flanks, in attack and midfield, where only three players are currently available. The Dortmund match will provide minutes for Molina while also testing Roma's defensive resilience; the rearguard conceded 11 goals across four pre-season matches against Cannes, Brighton, Cardiff and Newport without a clean sheet.

Roma face Borussia Dortmund at 17:30 on 15 August in what was intended as a crucial warm-up before the Serie A opener against Fiorentina, but injuries and an incomplete squad threaten to make it another uninformative friendly. Niccolò Pisilli remains sidelined recovering from a soleus muscle injury, Lorenzo Pellegrini is not included in the squad and will not return until mid-September, and Wesley was ruled out yesterday with a right ankle sprain—the same injury that troubled him in Wales. Manu Koné and Molina only joined the group on Tuesday, leaving Roma operating well below full capacity. With 15 days remaining in the transfer window, Roma squandered an early-season advantage over rivals such as Juventus, AC Milan, and Napoli, who faced restrictions on spending until making sales. The squad composition remains problematic: Gasperini named 23 players for the Dortmund match, including three goalkeepers, leaving only 16 outfield players from the first team—eight of them defenders. The club has received repeated rejections in pursuit of a striker Gasperini has wanted for the past year and a half, and uncertainty surrounds another ongoing transfer saga involving Mora. As reported by Stefano Carina in Il Messaggero, Roma's strategic approach to the window has shifted unexpectedly, raising questions about how the final weeks will unfold.

Roma will host Fiorentina at the Stadio Olimpico on Monday, 24 August at 20:45 for the opening day of the Serie A season. Gasperini's Roma will line up in a 3-4-2-1 formation: Svilar in goal; Mancini, Ndicka, and Hermoso in defence; Molina, El Aynaoui, Cristante, and Wesley across midfield; Dybala and Soulé in attacking support; and Malen leading the line. Fiorentina will deploy a 4-3-3 system under Grosso, featuring De Gea in goal, with Joao Mario, Viery, Dragusin, and Valdepenas in defence, Ndour, Oulai, and Atta in midfield, and Mastantuono, Kean, and Gudmundsson in attack. Tickets for the match remain on sale through the Roma website. The fixture will be broadcast live on Dazn. Fans can also follow live text coverage on ilromanista.eu or listen to radio commentary on radioromanista.it.

Roma's final pre-season friendly ended in a 2–2 draw at Signal Iduna Park on 15 August. Paulo Dybala opened the scoring, followed by Bryan Cristante's goal, before Borussia Dortmund levelled twice to secure a stalemate. Head coach Gian Piero Gasperini used the match to assess his squad's form against elite European opposition ahead of the 2026–27 season. Dybala and goalkeeper Mile Svilar delivered strong performances, with Svilar making numerous saves that proved crucial in earning Roma a draw. The fixture completes the club's pre-season preparation as the campaign approaches.

Paulo Dybala produced a masterclass performance in Roma's latest summer friendly against Borussia Dortmund at Signal Iduna Stadium, playing 86 minutes and delivering a complete attacking display. He opened the scoring in the fourth minute with a precise finish from a tight angle, then set up Bryan Cristante's header in the ninth. The display capped a remarkable pre-season for the Argentine, who has excelled throughout the summer schedule in ways he never has before at the club. Across Roma's full pre-season campaign, Dybala has accumulated three goals in matches against Primavera and Trastevere at Trigoria, a brace and an assist in the 3–3 friendly against Cannes, a goal and assist across fixtures in Wales (goals against Cardiff, assist against Newport), and a goal in Germany. He was goalless only at Brighton. Statistically and physically, Dybala appears to have arrived for the 2026–27 season in elite condition—a stark contrast to his previous summers in a Roma shirt. In 2022, after his initial arrival, he featured in only two pre-season matches (against Tottenham, with an assist, and Shakhtar Donetsk) owing to fitness concerns. In 2023 he played four of five friendlies, scoring three goals. The summer of 2024 saw him in four of five tests with one goal, while last summer he skipped all English fixtures due to post-surgical recovery and returned only in the final pre-season match against Neom.