Summerville and Tzolis eyed by Gasperini, but sales must come first and director of sport position unfilled

Roma's transfer priorities have shifted following the completion of Rodrigo Mora's signing. The club is now concentrating efforts on the left-back position and has deprioritised other targets, according to reports from Fabrizio Romano and Matteo Moretto. Interest in Malick Fofana has cooled considerably. Roma had an agreement in place with the Belgian winger but has not given Lyon the go-ahead to negotiate further. A proposed deal worth €35 million plus add-ons was deemed excessive by the club. After restructuring the terms to bring Mora to the capital, the Fofana operation has been sidelined. Similarly, pressure on Alessio Cacciamani has been relaxed as Roma refocus their efforts elsewhere. Luis Henrique has become the priority target, with Roma now pressing hard on that front. The challenge now is to find agreement on the financial terms between player and club.

Manchester City have added Roma midfielder Manu Koné to their list of midfield targets, according to reports confirmed on 20 August by journalist Ben Jacobs. City, following Rodri's departure, are seeking two midfielders and have already advanced contact with Bouaddi and prepared a fresh offer for Chelsea's Enzo Fernández. Koné is among the profiles under consideration, with updates expected in the coming days. Koné's future remains uncertain despite recent reassurances over his Roma future. The French midfielder had been flagged as a likely departure this summer, but only Atlético Madrid's offer—deemed unsatisfactory—materialised on Roma's desk early in the transfer window. Manchester United had also shown interest previously. Roma are keen to avoid losing one of their key midfield players and will likely resist any bid. No official approach from City has been confirmed beyond the scouting interest. Developments are expected soon as City accelerate their search to fill the void left in their engine room.

Roma have less than two weeks left in the transfer window and must balance incoming reinforcements with outgoings. While it remains difficult to move Koné on, both Soulé and Ziółkowski are on the market. Ziółkowski arrived in the capital a year ago but has not convinced head coach Gasperini and may now generate useful revenue for the club's balance sheet. Roma's sporting director awaits offers, but the club is already preparing a defensive contingency plan. Koulierakis has arrived and will serve as Mario Hermoso's backup in theory, but should Ziółkowski leave, the club intends to plug the gap by signing an experienced centre-back on loan rather than permanently. In recent days, Oosterwolde of Fenerbahce was offered to Roma. The approach reflects the club's preference to maintain financial flexibility while addressing defensive depth before the window closes.

Rodrigo Mora impressed in his first training session and now has four days to convince Gasperini he deserves the starting role in Roma's match against Fiorentina on Monday. The Portuguese forward will compete with Matías Soulé for the trequartista position in a 3-4-1-2 formation that Roma trialled on 19 August. Paulo Dybala and Donyell Malen are set to start as the two strikers, with Mora eyeing an opportunity to stake his claim in the role that suits him best. Soulé's availability for the match remains uncertain as AC Milan continues to press for his signature, alongside English club Sunderland. The competition for places elsewhere in the team appears settled: Molina is ready to make his debut, Wesley will start at left-back, Bryan Cristante and Manu Koné will operate in midfield, and the defensive line in front of Mile Svilar will comprise Gianluca Mancini, Evan N'Dicka, and Mario Hermoso. Gasperini's early feedback on Mora has been positive, giving the forward genuine scope to earn a starting berth.

Roma radio pundits debated the club's transfer strategy on 19 August, with disagreement over whether the Friedkin ownership will fund a €30 million move for Lyon midfielder Fofana. Pes stated that the club cannot afford Rafael Leao, whose salary would exceed Roma's highest earners—Mile Svilar and Donyell Malen on €4 million annually. He said: "The real issue is understanding whether the ownership will have the will to invest €30 million to close the Fofana operation. As of today there are no conditions to close Fofana; you have to understand if you can do a different formula or free up economic space through some sales, otherwise it's a matter of finding a different target." The €25 million investment for Rodrigo Mora and the tentative Fofana talks weigh on the club's evaluations, Pes added, while Gasperini's tactical system requires two reinforcements beyond Mora alone. Carina countered that Roma's market is unfinished, expecting the arrival of a winger and a deputy for Wesley. He assessed the current market positively and said Fofana's arrival would improve matters further, but stressed a lack of favourable conditions for Leao. Orsi suggested Roma needed another midfielder beyond the four from last season's squad, praising the Friedkin Group's measured approach to recruitment and Roma's merit in securing Champions League qualification by remaining competitive through a run of nine wins in ten matches.

Roma begin their 2026–27 campaign with five days to prepare before facing Fiorentina at the Stadio Olimpico on 24 August. Head coach Gian Piero Gasperini will resume full-squad training on 19 August at Trigoria, following a brief rest after the pre-season training camp in Wales and a 2–2 friendly against Borussia Dortmund in Germany. Wesley and Niccolò Pisilli are expected to participate despite recent injuries—the Brazilian striker suffered a mild ankle sprain before the Dortmund match and missed that fixture, while the midfielder picked up a calf injury at the end of July during the camp and has yet to train fully with the group. Lorenzo Pellegrini has worked individually throughout the summer while negotiating a contract renewal and will require more time to regain match fitness. Rodriguel Mora, signed as the club's latest attacking reinforcement, arrived in Rome on 18 August afternoon and is undergoing the formalities of medical clearance and administrative procedures before joining Gasperini's sessions. The 2007-born attacking midfielder represents one of several new faces—including Castro, Koulierakis and Molina—awaiting assessment ahead of the Fiorentina fixture. With Mile Svilar secure in goal and a defensive unit anchored by Gianluca Mancini, Evan N'Dicka and Mario Hermoso, Gasperini has five days to finalize his tactical approach and evaluate which new arrivals might feature from the start or from the bench. Paulo Dybala is expected to feature prominently after an strong pre-season showing.

Radio pundits debated Roma's transfer strategy on 20 August, with analyst Sabatini arguing the season depends on how many goals Malen scores and how many matches Dybala can play. "It is difficult to think that they can play more than 20 matches as regular starters," Sabatini said on Radio Radio. Commentator Carina added that Roma has spent heavily but must make outgoings to balance the books, noting that Soulé's agent has guaranteed offers will arrive at Trigoria in the coming days. Carina also highlighted Roma's failure to sign a left-footed right winger despite it being a stated priority: "We are on 20 August and Roma has bought everything except that player." Marcacci suggested Fofana would have been a more useful acquisition than Mora for Roma's midfield needs, while Pes called for Roma to strengthen the attack with additional physicality and athleticism. Torri reported that an agreement exists between Lyon and Fofana, with conditions in place to close the deal. He also underlined Roma's two-year absence of a right-footed left winger despite spending over 10 million euros in that market. Speculation mounted around Koné's future, with Pes noting Manchester City interest but estimating Roma would demand 60 million euros for the midfielder.

Rodrigo Mora impressed in his first training session and now has four days to convince Gasperini he deserves the starting role in Roma's match against Fiorentina on Monday. The Portuguese forward will compete with Matías Soulé for the trequartista position in a 3-4-1-2 formation that Roma trialled on 19 August. Paulo Dybala and Donyell Malen are set to start as the two strikers, with Mora eyeing an opportunity to stake his claim in the role that suits him best. Soulé's availability for the match remains uncertain as AC Milan continues to press for his signature, alongside English club Sunderland. The competition for places elsewhere in the team appears settled: Molina is ready to make his debut, Wesley will start at left-back, Bryan Cristante and Manu Koné will operate in midfield, and the defensive line in front of Mile Svilar will comprise Gianluca Mancini, Evan N'Dicka, and Mario Hermoso. Gasperini's early feedback on Mora has been positive, giving the forward genuine scope to earn a starting berth.

Roma are in the final stages of their summer transfer business ahead of Monday's Serie A opener against Fiorentina, with head coach Gian Piero Gasperini overseeing moves for defensive and attacking reinforcements. The club's attacking setup will centre on Paulo Dybala and Donyell Malen, supported by Rodrigo Mora, who recently arrived at the club. Gasperini has requested a more physical midfielder, with Malick Fofana of Lyon emerging as the top target. An agreement in principle worth approximately €35 million plus bonuses has been reached, though Lyon wish to retain Fofana until 26 August for their Champions League preliminary round against Fenerbahce. The final decision now rests with the Friedkin Group. Parallel to the Fofana pursuit, Roma are exploring left-back options, with Alessio Cacciamani of Torino identified as the hottest lead. Torino's recent closure of defender Fortini in the same position may prompt owner Cairo to soften his initial demands. Alternative targets Udogie and Luis Henrique are considered more complicated, with formulae and costs regarded as prohibitively high. Roma's incoming activity is contingent on outgoings: the club must resolve the situations of Salah-Eddine, Ziolkowski, and Robinio Vaz, while Matías Soulé, valued at approximately €40 million and attracting Milan's interest, remains under monitoring. Gasperini has Niccolò Pisilli available for selection and is assessing Wesley's fitness ahead of Monday's match. The likely starting XI is expected to mirror last season's shape, with Molina on the flank and the Dybala–Soulé pairing behind Malen, while Mora is poised for a substitute appearance.