Roma strengthens youth academy with Croatian midfielder Mardesic

Roma have signed midfielder Marten de Roon from Atalanta and defender Leonardo Balerdi from Olympique Marseille, but failed to complete moves for fullback Jayden Oosterwolde and defender Morato. The deal for Oosterwolde collapsed after Fenerbahçe's injury proved more severe than expected and the club refused to renegotiate terms; Roma are not pursuing alternative options as academy product Emanuele Lulli has proven serviceable. Morato joins on loan with a €15 million conditional obligation to buy after Nottingham Forest demanded an immediate permanent transfer—he had been a cornerstone of Marseille's plans for six seasons with 200 appearances. De Roon arrives as a replacement for Neil El Aynaoui, who is heading to RB Leipzig for a reported potential €29 million package. The midfielder asked to leave when his manager Maurizio Sarri called, and Atalanta allowed his departure without obstruction. Roma's recruitment reflects a broader shift away from signings made by the previous director that lacked Gian Piero Gasperini's approval, selecting instead established players unlikely to disrupt the group. Roma are also working on signings from Zenit's Luiz Henrique and Stuttgart's Jamie Leweling, according to reports from Alfredo Pedullà, with the possibility of adding both if Matías Soulé departs. El Aynaoui, who joined from Lens, never fully realised the potential he had shown in Ligue 1, and the club have opted to move forward with proven commodities expected to deliver solid contributions when called upon.

Roma travel to Lecce on 31 August at 18:30 seeking to build on their commanding 4–0 opening-day victory over Fiorentina. Coach Gian Piero Gasperini intends to make minimal changes to the starting eleven that earned that emphatic win, with the principal uncertainty centring on the right-back slot where Nahuel Molina and Emanuele Lulli are contending for a starting place. Rodrigo Mora is favoured to retain his position in the attacking line alongside Paulo Dybala and Donyell Malen, who scored a hat-trick against Fiorentina. Mile Svilar will continue in goal, with the defensive trio of Gianluca Mancini, Evan N'Dicka and Mario Hermoso set to remain unchanged in front of him. Wesley will operate at left-back, while Bryan Cristante and Manu Koné are expected to continue as the central midfield pairing, despite the latter finishing the Fiorentina match with minor physical discomfort. The attacking system allows the three front players considerable fluidity, with Dybala given freedom to drift between the lines and support Malen as the most advanced referential point. Two recent arrivals—Marten de Roon and Leonardo Balerdi—have been included in the travelling squad for Lecce but are unlikely to start. De Roon, officially confirmed by Roma in recent hours, and Balerdi, newly arrived, have had minimal training time with their teammates and will serve as potential substitutes. Gasperini stated that he considered Matías Soulé fully available for the Lecce fixture, though Mora currently holds the edge for the starting role. The ballottage readings suggest Molina leads Lulli 55–45 per cent, while Mora is favoured 65–35 per cent over Soulé. Lorenzo Pellegrini and Devyne Rensch remain unavailable. Roma's tactical setup is expected to mirror the successful pattern from the opening day, with ten positions clearly established and the contest between Molina and Lulli on the right flank representing the main selection dilemma Gasperini faces.

Roma have increased their bid for Stuttgart's Jamie Leweling to €30 million plus €5 million in bonuses as the club accelerates its push to secure an attacking winger for head coach Gian Piero Gasperini in the closing hours of the transfer window. The new proposal was tabled on 31 August following initial contact with Stuttgart in recent days, with Roma and the German club now working to bridge the gap on the structure and financial terms of the deal after an earlier Roma offer had been rejected. Leweling has moved to the top of the club's shortlist, overtaking Brazilian target Luiz Henrique in the preference rankings. Roma had already reached agreement with both Zenit and Luiz Henrique, but the club has decided to deprioritise that avenue in favour of pursuing alternatives, with Leweling now emerging as the primary focus. The negotiations with Stuttgart have entered a critical phase, and Roma are awaiting responses from both the German club and the player himself. The attacking winger remains a key priority for Gasperini's squad before the window closes. The race to land an outside winger has intensified in the final hours of the transfer market. Roma continue to hold the Zenit option as a parallel solution should negotiations with Stuttgart fail to reach an agreement. Multiple sources including Gianluca Di Marzio and Fabrizio Romano are monitoring developments on what has become one of the most closely watched deals of the deadline day.