Scamacca pushes for Roma return, meets with Gasperini

Marten De Roon has officially signed for AS Roma. The 34-year-old midfielder departs Atalanta after 445 appearances and 23 goals in seven seasons with the Bergamo club. De Roon holds 44 caps for the Netherlands and featured in two World Cups during his international career. De Roon arrives as reinforcement to Gian Piero Gasperini's midfield ahead of the 2026–27 campaign. He will wear the number 15 shirt. The club confirmed the signing on 30 August, with De Roon set to link up with his new teammates at Lecce on 31 August for a scheduled fixture.

Roma are finalising what could be their last move of the transfer window, bringing in Zenit winger Luiz Henrique on a loan deal worth 5 million euros with a purchase option set at 30 million. The structure gives Roma the right to buy rather than an obligation to do so, as Sky Sport confirmed. The deal represents one of the final pieces of business the club expects to conduct before the window closes.

Marten De Roon has completed his transfer to AS Roma from Atalanta on a permanent deal for €1 million. The Dutch midfielder arrived at Fiumicino today and has been assigned the number 15 shirt. He will travel with the squad for the upcoming fixture against Lecce. The 32-year-old brings significant European experience to Gian Piero Gasperini's squad as the transfer window enters its final hours. De Roon made 445 official appearances for Atalanta, scoring 23 goals during his time with the Bergamo club. He has earned 44 caps for the Netherlands and participated in the World Cups of 2022 and 2026.

Leonardo Balerdi has given his first interview as a Roma player, describing his arrival from Marseille as a move to convince Gasperini and climb the defensive hierarchy. The Argentine former Marseille captain spoke to the club's official channels about his childhood, Gasperini's interest dating back to his Atalanta years, and his experiences elsewhere. "I am truly happy and very calm," Balerdi said. "From the moment I arrived here in Rome they welcomed me with incredible affection and warmth." Bareldi is included in Roma's squad for the trip to Lecce on 31 August at 18:30 for the second Serie A round. Roma come into the fixture on the back of a 4–0 home win against Fiorentina and aim to maintain that momentum. However, Devyne Rensch remains unavailable and will return to Gasperini's disposal on Tuesday; Lorenzo Pellegrini is also sidelined. Jan Ziółkowski and Robinio Vaz are absent due to transfer matters. Gasperini has already moved to strengthen the squad, completing the arrival of Marten De Roon from Atalanta within 24–48 hours. De Roon, who boasts over 60 international caps, was released by Atalanta after many years at the club and was not in their plans. Gasperini explained the reasoning behind the De Roon move at his pre-match press conference: "De Roon came about quickly in the space of 24–48 hours. He had a situation at Atalanta after many years and did not fit their plans. There was this opportunity and I made contact with Percassi. They made the decision very quickly and left him free to decide. So El Aynaoui has the chance of a new experience. From an economic perspective it is important because it gives us the chance to move on another role. De Roon is intact even if he is an advanced age; he will enter a strong group that wants to be protagonists. Two captains have arrived and I believe we give this squad a strong physical turning point that it needs, as well as personality. Marten is Dutch like Malen and balances out the Argentines. I am certainly happy and I think from this aspect we come out solid." With three days remaining in the summer transfer window, Roma continue to pursue reinforcements for Gasperini, particularly a left-winger with a right foot. The club is now pushing hard for Luiz Henrique, a Brazilian winger born in 2001 at Zenit. According to Fabrizio Romano, talks are ongoing between Roma and Zenit over Henrique, who has signalled openness to the move and made Roma his priority. The two clubs must now reach final agreement.

Gian Piero Gasperini has named his squad for Roma's Serie A matchday 2 fixture against Lecce. Neil El Aynaoui and Robinio Vaz are absent from the squad list, both players close to departing the club. Devyne Rensch and Lorenzo Pellegrini are also unavailable through injury. The 24-man squad features goalkeepers Svilar, De Marzi and Gollini. In defence, Gasperini has included Koulierakis, N'Dicka, Molina, Hermoso, Mancini, Balerdi, Wesley, Lulli and Ghilardi. Midfield options are Cristante, Koné, Pisilli and Mora, while attack is covered by Castro, Malen, Soulé and Dybala.

Roma travel to Lecce for a Serie A fixture at a ground Gian Piero Gasperini described as insidious, with a passionate home crowd and a stadium at full capacity. Lecce began their season with a win at Venezia, and manager Di Francesco acknowledged the challenge ahead while preparing his own tactical response. Di Francesco addressed Roma's early-season form, noting that Donyell Malen scored a hat-trick and Paulo Dybala is performing at an exceptional level. "In the league Roma have shown they are immediately sharp," Di Francesco said. "If we look at the values, Roma is an important squad, but they will find a Lecce that wants to do well in front of its wonderful public." He praised Gasperini's methods: "I know the coach very well—he gives a very strong identity to his teams. We have to be good at containing their qualities and try to hurt them in the chances that come to us." On Lecce's own preparations, Di Francesco outlined midfield options brought into the squad. "Ilic can play anywhere in midfield and raises the quality of our engine room," he explained. "I will also call up Berisha, who I think from next week will work fully with the squad. We have raised the quality in midfield but must not lose the ability to defend together. Ilic has not trained with the team for a month, but I saw him alert—I believe he has a few minutes to help us. Fatah comes from a long lay-off, he was stopped since April, but he has some tricks; tomorrow I will assess based on how the match unfolds." On transfers, Di Francesco added: "We coaches on the market sometimes don't count as much as we would like—in this case Ilic was a request of mine. I wanted an extra player in midfield." Gallo is in doubt for the fixture after suffering problems during the week, though Di Francesco confirmed ongoing dialogue with both him and goalkeeper Falcone, emphasizing the importance of commitment regardless of squad tenure.

Gian Piero Gasperini will return to Lecce on 31 August having twice visited the Via del Mare in circumstances that left deep frustration. On both occasions—after Roma victories at Lecce and later at the Olimpico—Gasperini skipped the post-match press conferences, his silence masking mounting tensions over the club's transfer activity and squad injuries. The January 2025 visit came during a transfer window when Roma desperately sought a striker; Evan Ferguson scored in a 2–0 win but suffered an ankle injury weeks later, while Artem Dovbyk also scored before injury forced him to undergo surgery. Gasperini's frustration centred on sporting director Massara, whom he felt was moving too slowly in the market, particularly in securing a left winger with a right foot—a need that persists to this day. The tensions that erupted at Lecce deepened significantly after Roma travelled to Turin. Claudio Ranieri was appointed to stabilize the situation, but the arrival of another authority figure widened the rift rather than healed it. Massara and then Ranieri departed; Gasperini ultimately secured the head coach position. The squad then delivered an exceptional run of form that culminated in third place and qualification for the Champions League. The manager's mood has improved substantially since those turbulent January weeks. According to reporting by Alessandro Angeloni in Il Messaggero, Gasperini overturned tables at the Via del Mare in his rage and blamed Massara for the slow pace of business. Donyell Malen's arrival in the winter window proved transformative, helping to spark the turnaround. Roma arrive in Lecce having rebuilt their trajectory and secured European football at the continent's highest level.

The Champions League league-phase draw on 27 August paired Roma with eight opponents across the competition's opening phase, featuring two former Roma managers now in charge of Europe's elite: José Mourinho at Real Madrid and Luis Enrique at Paris Saint-Germain. The draw shapes Roma's European path from 8 September to 27 January under head coach Gian Piero Gasperini. Roma's return to the Champions League comes after seven seasons away. Real Madrid and PSG, both seeded in the first pot, headline the fixture list. From the second pot, Roma drew Sporting Lisbon (home), Manchester United (away at Old Trafford), Fenerbahçe (away), and AEK Athens (away). Lille and Slovan Bratislava complete the eight, both at home. The tie against Lille offers a potential redemption: Roma missed three penalties in last season's Europa League fixture against the French club, including a double failure by Artem Dovbyk and another by Matías Soulé. Mourinho will return to the Stadio Olimpico with Real Madrid. The draw has constructed a fixture list combining Roma's ambitions in European football's premier competition with the nostalgic dimension of facing two managers who shaped the club's recent history—Mourinho's tenure yielding markedly different results from Luis Enrique's time in Rome.

Roma's return to the UEFA Champions League after seven seasons will be marked by two fixtures against former managers. The league-phase draw, made on 27 August 2026, paired Roma with José Mourinho's Real Madrid and Luis Enrique's Paris Saint-Germain—both first-tier opponents. Real Madrid will visit the Olimpico, bringing Mourinho back before Roma's supporters for the first time since his departure. The fixture calendar and exact dates will be announced on 29 August. Gasperini's side qualified for the competition by finishing third in Serie A last season. The draw has given them eight opponents across the league phase, which runs from 8 September to 27 January. Beyond the two former managers, Roma face a testing itinerary: they will host Sporting Lisbon and Lille, travel to Old Trafford to face Manchester United, and also play away fixtures at Fenerbahçe and AEK Athens. Slovan Bratislava completes the home fixtures. The clash against Lille offers Roma a chance for redemption after last season's Europa League campaign. They suffered three penalty misses in that competition against the French side: Artem Dovbyk failed twice, followed by an error from Matías Soulé. Roma's European journey will test whether Gasperini can navigate both the grandeur of the Champions League stage and the emotional weight of facing Mourinho and Luis Enrique.