Spalletti backs Çelik signing as Juventus prepare for pre-season

Roma have given the green light for Robinio Vaz to join Hull City on loan, with the young forward set to undergo medical examinations on 1 September. The move will be structured as a loan deal worth €2 million, with Hull City holding a purchase option valued at €30 million. Vaz's departure had been temporarily blocked by Roma and head coach Gian Piero Gasperini, who wanted assurances over an attacking reinforcement before allowing another forward to leave. The clearance now comes with the club still active in the final hours of the transfer window to strengthen the offensive department. Gasperini and Roma felt it necessary to secure a replacement before sanctioning any further exits from that area of the squad. According to Fabrizio Romano, Vaz has been authorised to travel to England. The move offers the French forward an opportunity to find greater playing time in the Premier League, joining a Hull City side that has made a strong start to the campaign with two victories in their opening two fixtures.

Roma have given Robinio Vaz permission to travel to England for medical examinations with Hull City, scheduled for 1 September. The French forward will join the Premier League club on a paid loan worth €2 million with a purchase option set at €30 million. Vaz, a class of 2007 player, will link up with a Hull side that have won both of their opening fixtures this season. Gasperini and Roma had blocked the transfer in recent hours while waiting to secure a replacement. The club's authorization of Vaz's departure is viewed as a potential indication that negotiations are advancing for Leweling, another target on the club's radar.

Roma have tabled a formal offer of €35 million in total, including bonuses, to sign Jamie Leweling from Stuttgart on a permanent deal. The move represents a significant acceleration in Roma's pursuit of the German winger and reflects a shift in the club's transfer priorities. Leweling has now overtaken Luiz Henrique in Roma's hierarchy of targets, with the club concentrating its efforts on securing the Stuttgart player to complete the attacking department available to head coach Gian Piero Gasperini. The decision to prioritise Leweling came after a rapid change in Roma's transfer strategy during the final days of the window. A verbal agreement with Zenit over Luiz Henrique had been reached on Sunday evening, but Roma have now decided to step back from that operation and focus resources elsewhere—specifically on Leweling. The 2001-born German international fits Gasperini's requirements for his versatility, his ability to attack in depth, and his capacity to operate across both flanks in the attacking line. Roma's €35 million proposal is now with Stuttgart, and the club awaits the German side's response to determine whether the deal can be completed. The structure of the offer—€35 million in total with bonuses included—is designed to persuade Stuttgart to grant final approval. However, one variable could alter Roma's strategy in the closing hours of the transfer window: the situation surrounding Matías Soulé. Should the Argentine depart, it could create space for a second attacking recruit and reshape Roma's offensive plans entirely. The direction is now clear: Roma have placed €35 million on the table for Leweling and are waiting for Stuttgart's answer. That response will prove decisive in how Roma's offensive recruitment concludes.

Roma head coach Gian Piero Gasperini has identified a striker and a left-back as the remaining pieces needed to complete the squad ahead of tomorrow's away fixture at Lecce. Gasperini said: "To complete the team we need a piece that closes that section. A left-back and a forward have remained. Lulli has filled in somewhat, I have always believed in him, he is giving important responses but we cannot load such large responsibilities on him. Last season we had Angeliño, Tsimikas, Çelik, Wesley and also Rensch." Gasperini has most of his squad available for the trip to Via del Mare, with Lorenzo Pellegrini and Devyne Rensch expected to return to group training next week. Leonardo Balerdi was officially confirmed as a new arrival this morning, joining fellow recent additions Konstantinos Koulierakis, Rodrigo Mora, Santiago Castro and Nahuel Molina among the squad.

Former Roma and Lecce player Gigi Garzya has warned that Roma must be ready for an opponent who gives nothing away when the sides meet on Monday. Speaking ahead of the match, Garzya praised Lecce's performance in their opening away win at Venezia, saying the team of Di Francesco "remained in the game with the right mentality and lucidity that weighed heavily in the final half-hour". He highlighted Olaf Gorter as a player who impressed with both quality and personality, and noted the arrival of Ilić as evidence of Lecce's focus on adding strength in the transfer market. On Roma's prospects under Gian Piero Gasperini in his second season, Garzya acknowledged the squad has been reinforced, though he described Zeki Çelik's departure as a "heavy" loss—while backing Nahuel Molina to compensate with his quality and competitive drive. He was effusive about midfielder Rodrigo Mora, saying: "Technically he has numbers that make him an important prospect; one characteristic struck me more than others: he is the type of player you do not see frequently in the various leagues, because his thinking arrives first, and consequently he then makes the ball travel in an unpredictable way for opponents. When people say he is a bit light physically, they forget that the most important characteristic is playing the ball always with some instant of anticipation for whoever controls it." On the defence, Garzya explained that Konstantinos Koulierakis represents a deliberate and necessary choice rather than mere cover: "This year, with the Champions League, you need at least six established defenders in the department, calculating also that the game starts from the back, there are so many matches and Gasperini's football is very demanding in every role. The choice was targeted; the Roma coach never approves a signing just to make up numbers." Regarding Roma's ambitions, Garzya urged caution: "It is too early to say and ultimately the transfer market may not be finished yet; let's also see what the others do by the close; certainly you must do everything to maintain Champions League qualification, because Roma must play this competition regularly. Then we'll see if appetite comes with eating."

The relationship between head coach Gian Piero Gasperini and sporting director Ricky Massara deteriorated throughout the 2025–26 season, marked by clashing views on transfer strategy, public criticism and mounting friction that became irreparable. Massara, who felt treated as an amateur despite his substantial track record, endured difficult months in silence, though tension grew steadily. The conflict began last summer during negotiations for Sancho and Fabio Silva, then escalated in late August when Massara said "Sancho at the moment remains a suggestion because I don't think there are the conditions or the motivations," while Gasperini later replied: "Sancho never refused Roma." The situation exploded in early September during a heated discussion at Fulvio Bernardini, where Gasperini accused Massara of being too slow in negotiations, dismissing the restrictions imposed by Financial Fair Play and inherited difficulties. Disputes over specific targets fuelled the rift further: Gasperini's veto on Raspadori, his preference for Malen over Zirkzee, and disagreements over Robinio Vaz. The breakdown continued from a distance after Massara moved to Juventus, with the director's pursuit of Zeki Çelik irritating Roma while Gasperini attempted to insert himself into the Juventus deal for Kessié. The definitive rupture came in spring, when Gasperini rejected Kerim Alajbegovic and made his position clear: having secured the departure of Ranieri, he wanted Massara gone as well to remain at Roma.