Ruggeri transfer route to Roma closed as agent rules out move

Roma sporting director D'Amico pursued Luiz Henrique, the Zenit winger, until the final day of the transfer window but failed to secure the Brazilian. According to ESPN, Zenit rejected an offer of €38 million plus €5 million in add-ons from Roma — the same package tabled by Al-Ittihad. Botafogo and Flamengo also made enquiries about the forward, but the move did not materialise. Gasperini had been seeking an attack-minded winger throughout the window, and Henrique was among the priority targets. Roma may revisit the possibility in January. The club is not expected to turn to free agents, ruling out players such as Guerreiro and Sancho for now.

Matías Soulé remained at Roma despite being available throughout the summer transfer window after negotiations between the Giallorossi and Juventus over a potential swap deal broke down. Juventus wanted to send Teun Koopmeiners to Roma in exchange for the Argentine winger, with the two clubs working on the proposal until the final days of the market but unable to agree on formulas and figures. Soulé featured off the bench in Roma's recent clash against Atalanta and has since been alternating with Rodrigo Mora. Fiorentina and Milan also approached the winger during the window, but Roma consistently preferred to sell him to the Premier League to maximise profit. His price tag never fell below €35 million, which complicated negotiations with other Serie A clubs. However, Soulé never personally requested to leave Roma according to Corriere dello Sport. The proposed deal would not have significantly improved either club as currently structured; it would only have made sense had Roma found a right-footed speedster to complement Paulo Dybala and Juventus sold Nicolas Gonzalez. Gian Piero Gasperini would have been pleased to reunite with Koopmeiners given his versatility, though reclaiming him would have proved challenging and expensive. Roma ultimately had limited need for midfield reinforcement since Manu Koné remained at the club. Juventus instead signed Nick Woltemade late in the window as their attacking addition.

Roma have decided against signing free agents to strengthen their squad this summer, with head coach Gian Piero Gasperini unconvinced of the approach. The club had allocated roughly €30 million for Leweling, and those funds will now be redirected to the January transfer window, with the club's strategy shaped by how this opening phase of the season unfolds. Jadon Sancho, whose transfer pursuit by Roma was revived in recent reports, will remain out of reach — the player missed Roma's opportunity a year ago and there are no remaining slots to fill. Wilfried Zaha, aged 33, initially appeared to match Roma's requirements but has suffered multiple health problems in recent years and has declined markedly from the Premier League standard of three to four seasons ago. Rafa Guerreiro was another candidate as an experienced left-back capable of playing on the offensive flank if needed, but the Portuguese player suffered recurring muscle problems last season, leaving Roma wary. Gasperini's stated preference is for a physical profile that Guerreiro does not provide.