Roma's respectable market work carries the scent of missed opportunity

Rafael Leão has become a fresh target for Roma's final stretch of the transfer window after the Portuguese winger opened to a possible move to the club in recent hours. No advanced negotiations are currently under way, but Roma are studying a sustainable formula centred on payment structure. The real obstacle remains agreement with Milan, who value Leão at €40 million plus €5 million in bonuses. A conversation between Gerry Cardinale and Leão's agent Jorge Mendes could prove decisive in the coming hours in determining which scenarios are genuinely feasible. At Trigoria, Tony D'Amico is observing closely: Leão is considered an ideal profile for Gasperini's attacking department, but concrete openings from Milan will be needed before any serious move. Roma remain undeterred in their pursuit of Jamie Bynoe-Gittens and have made a new attempt to sign the Chelsea winger. The negotiation remains tied to the structure of the deal. Chelsea do not view the player as outside their project and are unwilling to accept a loan without guarantees. To persuade the Blues, Roma will need to present either a permanent offer or a loan with a mandatory purchase obligation. Roma's defensive department has become particularly rich in alternatives following the arrival of Koulierakis and the imminent arrival of Jayden Oosterwolde. With this in mind, in the final days of the window, either Ziółkowski or Ghilardi could leave Trigoria to find more playing time. Polish defender Ziółkowski is the subject of strong interest from Saudi Arabia, while Ghilardi appeals to Bologna. The Emilia side are tracking him as a possible replacement for Lucumì: there is concrete interest at present, but a formal negotiation has not yet begun. Roma will make their Serie A home debut tomorrow at 20:45 against Fiorentina at the Stadio Olimpico, which is heading towards a sell-out. Gates open at 18:45 and the club advises supporters to arrive at least 90 minutes early to avoid queues at the turnstiles. The Box 4 on via Nigra will be active from 17:45 until kick-off for any needs, while from 09:00 it will be possible to contact Roma via Contact Centre, telephone or email.

Roma continue to pursue winger Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, but Chelsea have signalled a change in the structure required to make a move happen. According to Fabrizio Romano and Matteo Moretto, Chelsea will not sanction a departure on a simple loan with an option to buy. Instead, the London club are demanding guarantees of a permanent transfer—specifically a loan with an obligation to buy, potentially tied to easily achievable conditions that would effectively guarantee a permanent sale. Chelsea do not regard Gittens as surplus to requirements; they see him as a player capable of remaining useful within their squad, which explains their reluctance to part with him on softer terms. Roma's previous proposal—structured as a loan with an option to buy—has been rejected on this basis. Should Roma pursue Gittens further, they will need to move closer to Chelsea's demands and accept a far more binding financial commitment. If the club chooses not to accept those terms, they will be forced to explore alternative targets to provide head coach Gian Piero Gasperini with the attacking winger he has requested. Meanwhile, the transfer of Jayden Oosterwolde is now finalised in principle. An agreement with Fenerbahçe has been reached, with only final bureaucratic steps remaining before the deal closes. Roma's transfer activity may not end there: director Tony D'Amico continues to work on multiple fronts, and further moves in the coming days cannot be ruled out.

Rafael Leão has signalled willingness to join Roma in the closing stages of the transfer window, stepping back from Turkish offers that have failed to convince him. According to Tele Radio Stereo, the Portuguese winger has opened the door to a move to the Giallorossi in recent days. The matter has become pressing for Milan, with owner Gerry Cardinale travelling to the club to address the situation and hold talks with Jorge Mendes, the agent who represents Leão. Mendes is working to satisfy all parties and facilitate Leão's transfer to a new club. Roma have so far shown reluctance to structure a permanent deal, meaning Milan will need to accept alternative formulas—such as a loan with a conditional option or obligation to buy—to open genuine negotiations with Roma's sporting director D'Amico. Leão has remained on Roma's radar throughout the window and could represent a surprise addition to the attack as the deadline approaches. Milan are asking for €40 million plus €5 million in bonuses to allow his departure. D'Amico is aiming to turn what was only a suggestion days ago into reality, but the two clubs must find common ground on the structure of any deal before serious talks can begin.

Roma's Serie A season opens on Monday at the Olimpico against Fiorentina. Gasperini will largely depend on the core squad from last season, with few new faces starting from the first minute. Molina is certain of a place in the lineup, while Mora is competing with Soulé for a starting spot. Castro and Koulierakis will begin on the bench. Malen and Dybala will lead the attack, with Koné expected to start in midfield alongside Cristante, and Wesley playing on the left. The defence will feature the familiar trio of Mancini, Ndicka, and Hermoso. Roma–Fiorentina is the opening fixture of Serie A Enilive. The match will be broadcast live on DAZN and in co-exclusive coverage on Sky Sport, with kickoff at 20:45. Viewers will need a DAZN subscription to watch on television; the app can be downloaded on smart TV, Xbox, or PlayStation. Alternatively, the match can be streamed via Amazon Fire TV Stick, Google Chromecast, and TIM VISION Box. Live commentary will be available on Forzaroma.info, with updates across Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

Roma are pushing to complete their squad before the transfer window closes, with Jamie Gittens emerging as a priority target. The Chelsea winger, a left-footer playing on the right flank, is available on loan and is being monitored after missing significant time last season through a thigh injury. Roma want a straight loan deal but are open to structuring the move with conditional obligations attached. The club believes the injury poses no lasting concern and views Gittens, born in 2004, as a quality option. Chelsea will play Fulham away at roughly the same time Roma face Fiorentina, with both clubs expected to reconvene on negotiations from Tuesday onwards. The transfer push comes as Roma seek to balance adding depth with financial discipline ahead of an autumn UEFA judgment on their settlement agreement compliance. After investing heavily in Castro, Rodrigo Mora, Koulierakis and Molina, the club is now eyeing loan moves with optional purchase clauses to avoid further strain on the balance sheet while maintaining competitive quality across three fronts following their Champions League qualification secured in May. Head coach Gian Piero Gasperini requires a complete, competitive roster. On the left flank, Roma continue monitoring Cacciamani from Torino, though the club's asking price remains a barrier to a deal. A new option has emerged in Jayden Oosterwolde, a Dutch centre-back capable of playing left-back. Currently at Fenerbahce, Oosterwolde is sidelined by injury with an expected return in three weeks. Roma have studied his file and can close a loan agreement with a discount given his current unavailability. The winger Endrick, meanwhile, has suffered an injury that will rule him out of Real Madrid's opening fixture tonight against Espanyol, dimming any late market hopes around the Brazilian.

Roma's summer transfer strategy underwent a dramatic reversal during the window, moving away from established stars towards younger, more financially sustainable targets. Head coach Gian Piero Gasperini had begun the window pursuing elite profiles including Mason Greenwood, Crysencio Summerville and Antonio Nusa, but as weeks passed the club progressively shifted direction. The turning point came when Roma abandoned a planned deal for Summerville and instead invested rapidly: 36 million plus 3 million in bonuses for Castro, 16.5 million plus 1.5 million for Koulierakis, and 13 million plus 4 million for Molina. These signings consumed the available budget and forced a complete change in approach. The root cause lies in Roma's Settlement Agreement with UEFA. Gasperini believed Champions League qualification would ease financial constraints, but the club's wage cap restrictions proved immovable. A decisive meeting during the club's Wales retreat saw CEO John Galantic communicate the ownership's new direction to the coaching staff: away from expensive, established players and towards young prospects capable of appreciating in value. Gasperini acknowledged the shift: "We started looking for very high-profile players but had to contend with the need to keep the wage bill under certain ceilings. Communications changed." He added: "I thought that once we reached the Champions League, financial fair play problems were solved and maybe the club thought so too. We had a different vision that we had to change over the weeks, including as strategies." Gasperini explained the domino effect of the decisions: "Maybe if we had done Summerville we couldn't have done anything else. Or perhaps his contract was sustainable at that moment." On UEFA's constraints, he stated: "There are situations that UEFA imposes from which the ownership cannot escape. All this forces us into a creative market, a necessity that also comes from what was done in previous years. In perspective Roma will certainly have value, but now the reckoning has arrived." The final phase of the window sees the club still seeking two players—a central midfielder (with Oosterwolde arriving for that role) and an attacking winger—but any additions must maintain financial balance. Gasperini confirmed: "Yes, two players. The left winger? We'll take it only if it brings added value."

Gian Piero Gasperini defended Roma's transfer approach at his pre-match press conference on 22 August, two days before the Serie A opener against Fiorentina at the Olimpico. The coach confirmed that UEFA financial regulations have forced a strategic shift in the market, compounding constraints that stem from years of previous spending. "The profile is only that of UEFA; there are no other possibilities," Gasperini said. "There are situations that UEFA imposes and from which our ownership, even wanting to, cannot escape. I thought that after six months or with arrival in the Champions League the situation would be resolved, but it is not so." Gasperini emphasised that Roma remain the only Italian club currently under UEFA supervision. "Roma has already had two deferrals and probably cannot have any more," he noted. "Now the reckoning has arrived, but we will do well anyway." Despite those constraints, he expressed satisfaction with arrivals in the window. Álex Molina replaced Zeki Çelik after winning the World Cup two months earlier; Christos Koulierakis joined as a defensive profile the squad lacked; and Rodrigo Mora arrived as a young long-term investment. Artem Dovbyk and Evan Ferguson departed, replaced by Mateo Castro. El Shaarawy, Bryan Zaragoza, Angeliño and Kostas Tsimikas also left. Gasperini stated: "All the players who arrived have strongly wanted to come to Roma. They have also reduced their salaries—and under this aspect I believe very positive work has been done. There are still ten days of the market left and we hope to complete everything." On the left wing position that Roma had pursued, Gasperini offered flexibility: "Only if he can be added value, otherwise I am not going to load myself with players just for the sake of it." Numerically, two squad slots remain available from a full complement of 23. He praised Paulo Dybala, Lorenzo Pellegrini and Bryan Cristante for accepting significant wage cuts. On Dybala's fitness prospects, Gasperini said: "I am certain, because I see him not only determined as he was last year but also particularly strong. He completed a pre-season perhaps for the first time without injuries." Dybala suffered two serious injuries last season—one requiring meniscus surgery that sidelined him for three and a half months. Gasperini stated that further squad exits may follow only if they represent tactical switches rather than pure departures. "If there are other exits it is only for changes, to switch," he said. "In this moment there is nothing certain." The window closes in ten days. Roma finished last season on 73 points and third place in Serie A, but Gasperini stressed the slate resets: "Every year you start from zero. What was done was very positive and satisfactory for all, but when the season starts everyone begins at 0 points and the 73 points from last year must be played again."

Gian Piero Gasperini addressed Roma's transfer strategy and squad preparation two days before the Fiorentina fixture, emphasising that while the squad is more competitive, UEFA financial controls have forced creative market decisions. Gasperini confirmed the club can still add two players numerically to the 23-strong squad sheet, but only if conditions can be met within budget limits. "The profile is only that of the UEFA regulations, there are no other possibilities," Gasperini said. "There are situations that UEFA imposes and from which even our ownership, much as they would like, cannot escape. If we had done Summerville we could not have done anything else. There are technical parameters that cannot be explained—you must have trust in the society that they are complex enough and force a club under UEFA control like Roma, unique in Italy right now, to comply." Gasperini revealed that reaching the Champions League last season had not resolved Roma's financial strictures as initially expected. "I thought that after six months or with arrival in the Champions the situation would be resolved, it is not so and this forces this type of market," he said. Roma remains the only Italian club subject to UEFA Financial Fair Play monitoring following accumulated deficits from previous years and has already received two deferrals; no further extension is available. Despite these constraints, Gasperini backed the recruitment approach, particularly the arrivals of Rodrigo Mora from Porto—described as "a very important investment, especially in perspective"—and the swap dealing that saw Zeki Çelik depart for Molina, and Evan Ferguson and Artem Dovbyk exit for Castro. He also praised the contract reductions undertaken by Paulo Dybala and Lorenzo Pellegrini, as well as renewals by Bryan Cristante and others. On the left-wing position, Gasperini stated he will only pursue a signing if it adds genuine value: "Numerically the discussion is what I said before—two players can be added. But only if they can be reached under the conditions we can have. If the market offers this it will be so, otherwise we stay as we are." Regarding Dybala, Gasperini expressed confidence the 32-year-old will achieve more appearances this season. "I am sure of this because I see him not only determined as he was last year but also particularly strong. He had a preparation that perhaps for a long time he could not complete, without injuries. Last year in my view he was very unlucky. I remember two injuries, kicking the penalty in Milan and the free kick against Turin. Two borderline cases—in one it cost him a meniscus and he was out three and a half months. Muscularly he seems much more toned. Perhaps he no longer has the speed and power of shot from when he was young, but he has improved other qualities. At 32 years old today you are in the prime of technical and physical maturity. I think he will have a great season." Gasperini will take stock of any remaining recruitment possibilities before facing Fiorentina, a heavily renovated side. He acknowledged uncertainty in his starting formation for the opening match, citing the integration of recently arrived players Mora and Molina alongside squad members returning from World Cup duty with different fitness levels. On the season's ambitions, Gasperini declined to discuss the Scudetto prospect, saying: "We must look at our own path, we are trying to do the best possible for our possibilities. I am convinced we will do well. To speak of a final result I do not know, it will also depend on the opponents."

Gian Piero Gasperini held a pre-match press conference two days before Roma's fixture against Fiorentina, addressing the transfer market and the squad's readiness for the 2026–27 season. The coach confirmed Roma's squad remains numerically incomplete, with the ability to field 23 players in a matchday squad. Gasperini stressed the need for two more signings but said they would only arrive if they met Roma's financial constraints. "Numerically yes, because we have the possibility to present 23 players in the squad," he said when asked about incompleteness. Gasperini acknowledged the difficulty of signing established players due to wage-bill restrictions imposed by UEFA. He revealed that Roma is uniquely constrained in Italy by Financial Fair Play rules stemming from previous years and that the club cannot accept further deferrals. "There are technical parameters that cannot be explained. You can have the society's trust that they are fairly complex and that force a society under UEFA control like Roma, the only one in Italy at this moment, to comply," he explained. He praised players including Paulo Dybala, Lorenzo Pellegrini and Bryan Cristante for accepting contract reductions to help the club navigate these limits. Gasperini described this as "a creative market, but very positive," noting that had Roma signed Summerville, other acquisitions would not have been possible. On Rodrigo Mora, Gasperini backed the young forward as an important investment for the future, noting the player scored 10 goals for Porto two years ago and possesses all the qualities to emerge. When asked whether a left-winger was essential or optional, Gasperini replied that any arrival must add genuine value: "Only if it can be an added value, otherwise I won't burden myself with players just to have them. Whoever arrives is strongly wanted and strongly wants to play at Roma." Regarding Paulo Dybala's condition, Gasperini said he is "not only determined as he was last year but also particularly strong," having completed a full pre-season without injury for the first time in recent years. At 32, Dybala has improved other qualities even if his raw pace and shot power have naturally diminished, Gasperini suggested. "I am sure he can do a season with more appearances than in recent years," the coach said. Gasperini confirmed that further squad exits may occur but only as part of deliberate swaps rather than enforced departures: Wesley arrived for Zeki Çelik's exit, and Castro was brought in as Evan Ferguson and Artem Dovbyk departed. Roma's focus now turns to the opening fixture against Fiorentina, a side Gasperini described as heavily rebuilt on the transfer market. He acknowledged uncertainty ahead of the first match, partly due to players returning from World Cup duty with different conditioning and recent arrivals like Mora and Molina still settling in.

Roma's Serie A season opens on Monday at the Olimpico against Fiorentina. Gasperini will largely depend on the core squad from last season, with few new faces starting from the first minute. Molina is certain of a place in the lineup, while Mora is competing with Soulé for a starting spot. Castro and Koulierakis will begin on the bench. Malen and Dybala will lead the attack, with Koné expected to start in midfield alongside Cristante, and Wesley playing on the left. The defence will feature the familiar trio of Mancini, Ndicka, and Hermoso. Roma–Fiorentina is the opening fixture of Serie A Enilive. The match will be broadcast live on DAZN and in co-exclusive coverage on Sky Sport, with kickoff at 20:45. Viewers will need a DAZN subscription to watch on television; the app can be downloaded on smart TV, Xbox, or PlayStation. Alternatively, the match can be streamed via Amazon Fire TV Stick, Google Chromecast, and TIM VISION Box. Live commentary will be available on Forzaroma.info, with updates across Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

Gasperini is preparing Roma's opening lineup for Monday's visit of Fiorentina, with the shape of his team already taking clearer form in the final days of the transfer window. The Stadio Olimpico will host Fiorentina, managed by Grosso, who despite their youth and last season's league position will present a stern test. Gasperini has identified Fiorentina's preference for a 4-3-3 setup during summer friendlies and is likely to counter with a 3-4-1-2 formation against their four-man defence, adapting his usual structure. That system would see Rodrigo Mora operating as the trequartista behind the Paulo Dybala and Donyell Malen partnership, a position where the Argentine could make an immediate impact and deliver more options than Matías Soulé offers from the left flank. The formation can shift to a 3-4-2-1 during play when Malen presses higher up the pitch. Gasperini will keep some selection decisions until the final stages of Monday's match. Wesley and Molina appear set for the right flank, while Kostas Tsimikas contests the left-back role against Mario Hermoso for a starting place. The central defensive duel between Evan N'Dicka and Fiorentina's Kean will be a critical battleground — N'Dicka has struggled more than usual against Kean's pace and explosive moments from his time at Juventus. Fiorentina's Arthur Atta will be their wildcard variable, looking to disrupt Roma's defensive shape by dropping deep and unsettling the back line. Molina will have dual duties: creating danger down the flank through his runs while containing the constant forward drives of Valdepeñas. The final training session takes place this afternoon at Trigoria, where remaining selection dilemmas—including the Mora-Soulé contest and the Cristante-Neil El Aynaoui decision—will be resolved. Gasperini continues to wait for one more attacking wide player with different characteristics from Mora during the summer window. Monday brings the first competitive test of the season, a tactical chess match between two managers with distinct philosophies and clear identities. Roma will need a strong start in a title race that this year features more Champions League contenders than ever before.

Roma are pushing to complete their squad before the transfer window closes, with Jamie Gittens emerging as a priority target. The Chelsea winger, a left-footer playing on the right flank, is available on loan and is being monitored after missing significant time last season through a thigh injury. Roma want a straight loan deal but are open to structuring the move with conditional obligations attached. The club believes the injury poses no lasting concern and views Gittens, born in 2004, as a quality option. Chelsea will play Fulham away at roughly the same time Roma face Fiorentina, with both clubs expected to reconvene on negotiations from Tuesday onwards. The transfer push comes as Roma seek to balance adding depth with financial discipline ahead of an autumn UEFA judgment on their settlement agreement compliance. After investing heavily in Castro, Rodrigo Mora, Koulierakis and Molina, the club is now eyeing loan moves with optional purchase clauses to avoid further strain on the balance sheet while maintaining competitive quality across three fronts following their Champions League qualification secured in May. Head coach Gian Piero Gasperini requires a complete, competitive roster. On the left flank, Roma continue monitoring Cacciamani from Torino, though the club's asking price remains a barrier to a deal. A new option has emerged in Jayden Oosterwolde, a Dutch centre-back capable of playing left-back. Currently at Fenerbahce, Oosterwolde is sidelined by injury with an expected return in three weeks. Roma have studied his file and can close a loan agreement with a discount given his current unavailability. The winger Endrick, meanwhile, has suffered an injury that will rule him out of Real Madrid's opening fixture tonight against Espanyol, dimming any late market hopes around the Brazilian.