Roma transfer market: Svilar, Konè and Malen off limits, says Faccini

Matías Soulé made his Argentina debut on 3 October 2026 alongside Santiago Castro, a milestone that has drawn unwanted attention from Fabián Berlanga, president of Velez Sarsfield, the club where Soulé grew up before leaving for Juventus at age 16. Berlanga has called for severe sanctions against the Roma forward, saying: "Soulé as Argentina's new number 10 after Messi? No, he should instead face an exemplary punishment. For example, permanent exclusion from the possibility of ever wearing that shirt number, or from wearing the captain's armband. He is not a good example. We don't like when young players leave on a free transfer, but we know it's a battle to fight against agents, who sometimes act in bad faith." The animosity stems from 2019, when Soulé, then a teenager, exploited a legal provision for underage footballers to break his Velez contract and depart on a free transfer. Berlanga's grievance centres on how the player, his family and his representatives used the regulation to circumvent the club's interests. The comments represent a reopening of old tensions surrounding Soulé's youth-level exit from Argentina.

Roma and AC Milan are locked in a contest to sign Real Madrid forward Endrick in January, with the 19-year-old Brazilian having previously agreed terms with the Giallorossi in the summer before the deal collapsed. Sporting Director D'Amico and head coach Gasperini have not abandoned their pursuit and are preparing a fresh attempt. Milan, however, hold a significant advantage: the club has a partnership with Roc Nation, the agency representing Endrick's interests, since 2020—a relationship that has continued under current president Gerry Cardinale. Milan also brokered an agreement with Endrick over the summer before José Mourinho blocked a proposed loan move. Endrick has struggled for minutes at the Bernabéu despite Mourinho's assurances, strengthening Milan's hand as they sense they are in pole position over Roma. The Rossoneri will lean on their established relationship with Roc Nation and their existing ties with Real Madrid to attempt to secure the player in the coming months.

Giorgi Kvernadze's impressive start to the 2026-27 season at Frosinone has attracted attention from major Italian clubs ahead of the January transfer window, with Roma reportedly among those interested in the Georgian winger. Frosinone president Maurizio Stirpe has moved to dampen speculation, stating that Roma have made no formal approach. Gasperini is said to be keen on adding a right-footed attacking winger to his squad, and Kvernadze—a 2003-born prospect—fits that profile. However, Stirpe told Corriere della Sera: "Kvernadze's possible departure? As of now it's just chatter, I haven't received any phone calls. I am waiting only for official and concrete proposals."

Radio pundit Piero Torri has voiced concern that Bryan Cristante's injury could be more serious than initially thought, and has outlined how he would approach Roma's upcoming fixtures if the midfielder is unavailable. Speaking on Radio Manà Manà Sport Roma (90.9), Torri said: "I'm afraid Cristante's injury may not be a short one. If he's not fit, I wouldn't risk trying to get him back for Real Madrid. I would play de Roon at Como and Pisilli against Real Madrid." Torri also reflected on head coach Gian Piero Gasperini's handling of Paulo Dybala's minutes, saying the manager's approach has shifted his perspective. "What Gasperini said about Dybala struck me—it erased my previous beliefs about his playing time and management. And so far he's been proved right," Torri noted. He suggested Roma should begin discussions about Gasperini's contract intentions, given that the coach's deal will expire at the end of the season. Former Roma striker Roberto Pruzzo, speaking on Radio Radio Mattino (104.5), praised goalkeeper Mile Svilar's importance to the team: "Svilar is a world-class goalkeeper for Roma, I have no doubt about it. If there's a normal goalkeeper, it's easy to lose 3–1. But with him it's different."

Roma radio commentators have praised Paulo Dybala and Mile Svilar as central to the club's prospects under head coach Gian Piero Gasperini this season. Carina told Radio Radio that Dybala represents Gasperini's main gamble and is succeeding in it. "The big difference compared to the past is exactly Dybala," Carina said. "If he continues like this, at these high levels, I would sign off on it. It's clear that at Roma it can change important targets. Gasperini is right: Dybala doesn't miss a training session, he has found the key to extend Dybala's career, who is a champion of Italian football." Carina also noted that Bryan Cristante has a knee inflammation that, while not serious, is a concern. Roberto Pruzzo backed goalkeeper Svilar without reservation. "Svilar is world-class for Roma, I have no doubt," Pruzzo said on Radio Radio. "If there is a normal goalkeeper, it is easy then to lose 3–1." Orsi, also speaking on Radio Radio, observed that goalkeepers in Italy are not generally regarded as world-class figures.

Gian Piero Gasperini addressed the Gazzetta dello Sport's Festival dello Sport in Trento, reflecting on his arrival at Roma and the squad's early development under his management. He described his first message to the players as the creation of something new from the ground up. "It's like when you do a new construction: you must lay new and different foundations straight away," Gasperini said. "We never spoke about my previous years. We had to build something new immediately, founded on concepts different from what many players were used to, but also what they expected from me and asked of me. Football can be played in many ways, but the first concept was to win the ball back from the opponent and not wait for him to make a mistake." Gasperini singled out the defensive group for particular praise, naming Gianluca Mancini and Mario Hermoso as standout performers but extending credit to goalkeeper Mile Svilar and Evan N'Dicka, who he said had been among Europe's best defenders for months. On Mancini, he revealed his approach: "I knew him when I was his opponent and I would think 'why is he so disagreeable?' and I immediately tried to tell him 'look, this penalises you, for many years you didn't go to the national team because of these attitudes.' That was the first thing I worked on." Mancini had "a fantastic season" and has since returned to the Italy squad. Hermoso, despite a difficult previous year, brought experience from Atlético Madrid's defensive discipline alongside Spanish quality and tactical knowledge. On Bryan Cristante, Gasperini explained his confidence in the midfielder despite early doubts. "I knew him as a young player. Very often in players you don't look at the 'control room'—personality, the way of playing for the squad and putting teammates' needs first—and that's something I've always considered," he said. "When I was at Atalanta we sold Gagliardini to Inter and he couldn't stand out. Sartori gave me his name, I met the young Beppe Riso and got to know this guy. He couldn't have lost his technical qualities. I spoke to him a lot and he convinced me. I was facing the right person, with motivation, and I hoped that footballistically he would come out and he did." Cristante has suffered a knee injury but should recover quickly. Gasperini acknowledged that "playing many matches, if you're out two weeks you risk missing five matches. He'll miss the first matches but will recover soon." On Paulo Dybala's remarkable early form this season, Gasperini said: "He's started the way it hasn't happened to him for years. I knew him in Palermo when he was very young. As with all great players, he still has enthusiasm and strength. When he's on the pitch he's well and wants to play." Regarding Romano, a young academy graduate, Gasperini was critical of circumstances beyond football: "The fact that Romano was sold is down to needs for capital gains and balance-sheet requirements. This is not something good for our football—you need the chance to let your best gems grow, but when there are these needs they become the first to be cut." Gasperini also discussed Donyell Malen's unexpected summer arrival. "Sometimes the planets align and things happen that you weren't thinking about days before," he said. "Malen was a known player; in summer we'd seen his characteristics, which were already known. Then things happen during the market where you think you've planned everything and then maybe something unforeseen comes up—sometimes bad, in this case good. In a moment when we were looking for a striker, this opportunity with Malen came up, exiting Aston Villa for a tactical reason. He wanted to play centre-forward and I've always seen centre-forward characteristics in him."

Head coach Gian Piero Gasperini has reviewed his opening months at Roma in a question-and-answer exchange with La Gazzetta dello Sport, identifying the most emotionally significant match, the most difficult fixture and the player who most impressed him. Gasperini named Roma's league match against Verona as the most moving experience since his arrival. "I'd say the last league game against Verona, because the feeling of having reached an important milestone, with great satisfaction from the fans," he said. The reference is to Roma's qualification for the Champions League, which Gasperini regards as one of the highest points of his time at the club. When asked about the hardest match, Gasperini acknowledged that every fixture presents difficulties but singled out Roma's away game at Inter Milan last season as the moment of deepest decline: "They're all difficult. The most difficult was when Roma was at its lowest against Inter in Milan last year. But the last one we played was on another level entirely." On players who have surprised him, Gasperini chose Donyell Malen, whose goalscoring impact has exceeded even the coach's expectations. "Certainly the number of goals Malen has scored is something nobody could have imagined," Gasperini said. "The rest have all been very positive surprises." Gasperini has previously teased Malen about the possibility of approaching Gonzalo Higuaín's Serie A record of 36 goals. When asked which player he would have liked to coach during his career, Gasperini gave a single-word answer: "Messi."

Mario Hermoso has become a cornerstone of Gian Piero Gasperini's Roma defence, and the club is already working on a contract renewal with the Spanish defender. Hermoso, who is out of contract on 30 June, shares the club's intention to extend their partnership. The former Atlético Madrid player has impressed through his ability to build play from the back, offensive instinct and aggressive style—qualities that align perfectly with Gasperini's football. Santiago Castro marked a special night by making his Argentina debut, coming on in the second half of a 7–0 victory against Burkina Faso. The Roma striker expressed his emotion at the milestone: "There are moments that stay with you forever. Representing my country is a pride difficult to put into words. As a child I dreamed of this moment, and today I can say it has come true." He added in the mixed zone: "Seeing my family, my pregnant wife… it's an incredible mix of things." Donyell Malen returns to Como aiming to score again, this time to carry Roma to victory. Gasperini continues to push his forward, saying: "No one thought the numbers could be like this. I always tell him what he has done is not enough—someone scored 36 in the past. But if he reaches 30 I am happy." Malen is currently exceeding that benchmark, averaging 1.20 goals per match, on a scoring rate that surpasses the historical records of Higuaín and Immobile.

Gian Piero Gasperini is already planning Roma's January window despite the club sitting top of the table with a functioning attack led by Dybala and Malen. Between appearances at the Trento Festival and work at Trigoria, Roma are targeting reinforcements in the attacking department, focusing on players currently struggling for minutes at their clubs. A conversation between CEO Galantic and Gasperini at the festival underscores Roma's philosophy of planning winter moves in advance. Roma's priority remains a quality wide forward, with evaluation also ongoing into a more complete profile like Oosterwolde. Four players already tracked in the summer transfer window remain in the club's sights: Gittens, Leweling, Luiz Henrique and Endrick. The common thread linking them is a shortage of regular playing time. Gittens, a Gasperini favourite, has yet to debut in the Premier League. Leweling plays only sporadic minutes at Stuttgart and was excluded from the initial squad list under new national team coach Klopp. Luiz Henrique remains blocked in Russia by bureaucratic issues that have also cost him national team call-ups. Endrick's situation is the most delicate. Mourinho secured him at Real Madrid over the summer, but the Brazilian has virtually disappeared: just four minutes across La Liga and the Champions League combined. That picture of underuse could shift as soon as November, when UEFA will make decisions on the Settlement Agreement, opening new scenarios potentially favourable to Roma heading into the winter market.