Roma to renew bid for Real Madrid's Endrick in January

Endrick is under close observation at Roma during the international break, with Gian Piero Gasperini and the club's sporting director D'Amico monitoring his progress at Real Madrid. The Brazilian forward is expected to start for Brazil against India in Calcutta today at 16:00 Italian time, competing for the striker role against Pedro, the former Fiorentina player now at Flamengo. Carlo Ancelotti, Brazil's head coach, was clear on the pair's contrasting qualities in a press conference: "Endrick is a young player with extraordinary talent, with much quality, much strength and much power. Pedro is an experienced player with much technique. Explaining Pedro's characteristics is quite simple — he is someone who knows how to play football." The duel for the starting position remains open, but Roma's interest in the 21-year-old has been heightened by his limited game time at the Bernabéu. Endrick entered only in the 86th minute against Elche when the score was level, with teammate Carlos Espì — who came on alongside him — scoring the winning goal in injury time. Espì has since earned Ancelotti's esteem and has now been called up to Spain's senior squad following Ferran Torres's injury. Endrick risks losing further ground and needs to make an impression for Brazil, where he enjoys the faith of head coach Ancelotti. Over Brazil's first two matches in this international break, he played more than 110 minutes and provided an assist. Gasperini and D'Amico remain intent on signing him: a loan deal in the summer transfer window did not materialise, but the club intends to pursue the matter seriously and concretely in January. The director of football is keeping the track warm. Real Madrid's limited use of the player, combined with his own changing mindset about securing a starting place at the Bernabéu, may work in Roma's favour. The reality facing Endrick — that the doors at Real Madrid are firmly closed, whether as a central striker or on the wing — may be pushing him toward Roma as the ideal stage to rediscover the form he showed with Brazil's national team or with Lyon, with Ancelotti himself as an influential advocate, given the coach's significant ties to the giallorossi.

Roma have identified Endrick as a priority signing for the January transfer window, with director D'Amico having worked on the Brazilian forward since last summer. Both the player and his father have indicated their willingness to join, according to reports. Endrick, who has featured for just 4 minutes so far this season, is seeking regular playing time and consistency. His father previously explained that the player "had regained happiness" in France after Real Madrid had limited his pitch time. Roma could offer him the space and central role within Gasperini's project that he is seeking. Separately, Roma's women's team face Lazio in the Derby della Capitale at the Tre Fontane stadium at 18:00 today, Saturday 3 October, in a Serie A fixture. The Roma women arrive at the match after a particularly demanding period, having played four more matches than their derby opponents since 6 September across league, Women's Cup and Champions League commitments. The match will be broadcast on DAZN, Rai Sport and Rai Play. For Roma coach Gianpiero Piovani, it will be his first Lazio derby from the Roma bench. He said of his opposite number: "Knowing Grassadonia, I don't expect a cautious team, especially given they have some very quick players up front."

Paulo Dybala rejected approaches from Juventus and Napoli this summer to stay at Roma, with head coach Gian Piero Gasperini playing a decisive role in persuading the Argentine to commit to a restructured contract. Dybala's deal was expiring and renewal talks had stalled as Roma sought to protect themselves against his history of injuries and reduce his base salary. Both Juventus and Napoli made contact with his representatives to explore the possibility of signing him, but Roma eventually reached agreement after strong intervention from Gasperini. The forward accepted a 70 percent pay cut, bringing his base salary down to €2.2 million. However, the deal includes substantial bonus clauses that could substantially increase his earnings: €100,000 for every start in which he plays at least half the match, up to a maximum of 20 appearances, then €150,000 once that threshold is reached. Dybala will also earn significant add-ons for every five goal contributions. The restructuring heavily favours Roma financially, though the club faces an ironic prospect: if Dybala remains injury-free, they could end up paying him a considerable sum anyway. Early in the 2026-27 season, he has logged almost full minutes and provided four assists, though he is yet to score.