Roma rank third in Serie A squad valuations as market value climbs

Real Madrid teenager Franco Mastantuono is set to continue his career in Serie A on a season-long loan, with manager Jose Mourinho open to allowing the Argentine to leave after a difficult first year at the Santiago Bernabeu. Mastantuono joined Madrid from River Plate last summer for a reported fee of €45 million, but managed only 11 La Liga starts in 2025–26, accumulating 35 appearances across all competitions with three goals and one assist. Roma, Milan, and Fiorentina have all registered interest in the 18-year-old. Milan, who competed with Roma and other top European clubs to sign Mastantuono before his move to Spain, view him as a potential successor to Rafael Leao at San Siro. Roma's interest is partly explained by the possibility that Matías Soulé could leave the Stadio Olimpico this summer. Fiorentina are also keen to provide the young talent with a pathway to regular first-team football. Mastantuono's struggles in his debut season have made a departure seem inevitable, with all three Italian clubs positioning themselves to offer him the consistent playing time needed to accelerate his development.

With less than a month until the new Serie A season begins, roughly 100 players across the Italian top division remain sidelined from their clubs' plans, weighing heavily on balance sheets rather than contributing on the pitch. Napoli, Juventus and Inter face the most complex situations. Inter must manage Frattesi's declining market value as he seeks regular starting football without success, alongside problems with Asllani and Pavard. Napoli's squad is oversized and needs significant departures; Lukaku's substantial wage at 33 remains an obstacle, as does Lucca. Juventus carries aging contracts and new signings outside their plans, including Arthur, Openda, Douglas Luiz and Nico Gonzalez, who is reportedly unwilling to return to Turin and is also being tracked by Roma. Roma is working to move several players out. Artem Dovbyk's situation appeared complicated due to injury and a high valuation, but the club has found a potential solution in recent days: following Castro's arrival, the Ukrainian could leave on loan to Bologna, pending only his approval. Kumbulla's future also remains to be resolved. Milan faces more contained issues but still needs to find homes for Musah and Loftus-Cheek, while Rafael Leao's future hangs in the balance. Across the rest of Serie A, Atalanta, Bologna and Fiorentina face lighter departures, while Sassuolo and Lazio are among clubs needing to trim their squads before the transfer window closes.

Alberto Aquilani will take charge of Sassuolo for his first Serie A managerial job after a successful spell with Catanzaro. The former Roma midfielder expressed his excitement at the appointment, telling Sky Sport: "A nice emotion to begin this journey in Serie A, it stimulates me greatly. We are working well, and when the start of the season approaches the emotions will grow even more." Aquilani will face his former club Roma when the sides meet, adding extra significance to the fixture. He and Daniele De Rossi came through the Roma ranks together, and the prospect of squaring off as opposing managers carries special weight. Aquilani said: "Serie A is full of encounters for me. I have been around and met many coaches. With Daniele we grew up together, it will be strange to face each other from the touchline. And Roma will obviously be another special day."