Svilar denies Juventus contact ahead of Inter clash

Leonardo Balerdi has made an immediate impression at Roma in just three appearances, winning over supporters within weeks of his arrival on loan from Marseille. The Argentine defender spoke to Il Tempo ahead of Roma's match against Inter, reflecting on his rapid integration at the club and his hopes of a permanent future in the capital. Bareldi arrived with a deep affection for Roma already formed—he revealed he had asked former Marseille teammate Kevin Strootman for a Roma shirt years ago, which he still keeps at home. "I was mad about the shirt, the colours," he said. "It was always one of my favourites. It was destiny that sooner or later I had to wear it." He also explained his deliberate avoidance of naming Lazio in his first official interview, drawing a parallel to his experience in Argentina. "That expression came spontaneously to me. I understand the passion of the fans well, coming from Argentina. When I talk about Boca, River is always 'the other team'. In my first interview as a Roma player I didn't want to say the name of the other team in the city, and so that phrase came out." On his adaptation to Gasperini's methods, Balerdi was positive: "I get on well with his instructions. I feel that physically I'm improving day by day. His way of training is an advantage for me because in matches I feel stronger. He comes to the pitch and does what he has to do. We haven't spoken much about other things but he's been top with me. He's totally focused on the work and I like that." Asked about his loan deal with a purchase option and whether he hopes to stay long-term, he replied: "Absolutely yes." Looking ahead, Balerdi set out his ambitions: "I want to do everything I can to stay here long-term. Personally, both in the national team and at Roma, I want to win a trophy. I repeat, I want to always give 100%. I think that if I manage it and everyone else does too, we can get some satisfaction."

Roma face Inter at the Stadio Olimpico on 19 September 2026 in a fixture head coach Gian Piero Gasperini views as a significant test of the team's credentials. Gasperini told Sky Sport that the club has eliminated major defensive weaknesses but acknowledged room for improvement remains. "I will say after twenty matches whether we can challenge for the title, but to raise standards we must improve day by day rather than set specific objectives," he said. "The main faults have been removed, but there is always something to refine. This environment has a positive influence—there is great passion and great love. It is right that supporters dream, but we must look at the reality of things. This group feeds itself. It is composed of young players and also less young players of great value, and they all pull each other along." Roma have not beaten Inter at home for ten years, their last victory coming in 2011 with goals from Dzeko and Manolas. Gasperini's record against Inter in 36 previous meetings stands at nine draws and five wins, with 27 goals scored and 68 conceded. Victory would therefore break a significant curse for both club and coach. Hermoso returned to full training on 17 September without issues and is available for selection, while the right flank will see Lulli favoured over Molina. The forward line presents a choice between Soulé, Mora and Pisilli, though Malen and Dybala are guaranteed their places. Francesco Balzani's analysis on Leggo notes Roma's evident growth this season, with the squad bolstered by both youth and experienced talent working in tandem.

Gian Piero Gasperini has urged Roma to focus on daily improvement rather than chase trophy talk after a perfect start to the season. Speaking to Sky Sport ahead of the Inter fixture, the coach said: "I hoped for it more than I expected it. Today we are a squad that knows itself better than at the start of last season and we have already assimilated many things." On title ambitions, he was emphatic: "The bar does not rise by setting objectives, but by improving every day. You can only talk of targets after around twenty matches." Gasperini praised Leonardo Balerdi's immediate impact as a professional "ready to contribute straight away" and highlighted the group's balance: "The young players bring freshness, the more experienced are an example every day. It is a squad that feeds itself." Mario Hermoso trained fully with the group on 17 September after undergoing differentiated work the previous day for a mild ankle contusion, and is on course to be available for the match against Inter on Saturday 19 September at 18:00 at the Stadio Olimpico. Gasperini spoke of upcoming fixtures against Inter, Como and Real Madrid, saying: "We have earned the chance to face these teams. They will be important matches to understand what we are truly capable of." Rodrigo Mora, who arrived from Porto in the summer, has already won over supporters. The Portuguese midfielder scored his first Serie A goal against Lecce and told Sky Sport of his reasons for joining: "Roma is a very prestigious club and the style of play it proposes was one of the main reasons why I chose to come. Playing in the Champions League is an important step for my career." On his relationship with Gasperini, Mora added: "He is a very demanding coach with the whole squad, but that pushes you to grow every day." Reflecting on his first goal in giallorosso colours, he said: "It was a special moment. I like to score, but my aim is above all to help the team with goals, assists and everything needed to win."

Inter have tracked several Roma players across multiple transfer windows, with some coming closer to a move than others. Mile Svilar was a target in summer 2025 before he renewed his contract with Roma, while contacts were made with Gianluca Mancini's representatives in early July when his deal was set to expire in 2027. Nahuel Molina was examined as a possible replacement for Dumfries, and in spring Inter president Marotta considered Lorenzo Pellegrini as an option. The most serious pursuit came in summer 2025 when director Ausilio agreed a deal with Roma's then sporting director Massara for Manu Koné on 15 August—reportedly worth 40 million euros plus bonuses—but Roma's ownership halted the transfer following supporter unrest. Paulo Dybala represents perhaps the most intriguing near-miss. In June 2022, fresh from leaving Juventus, his agent secured an agreement with Inter for a contract worth 6 million euros. The move collapsed when Inter owner Zhang hesitated, head coach Simone Inzaghi harboured doubts about the fit, and the club could not offload Alexis Correa elsewhere. Inter ultimately pivoted to bringing Romelu Lukaku back on loan instead. The article, published by Federico Masini in Tuttosport, frames these overlapping negotiations as a series of alternate paths in the transfer market. It traces how each of these Roma players—Svilar, Mancini, Pellegrini, Molina, Koné and Dybala—has at different times occupied Inter's thinking, whether as established targets or passing considerations.

Ahead of the big match between Roma and Inter, the transfer market reveals a thread connecting the two clubs over recent years: failed negotiations, hidden probes and shared targets that have intertwined their strategies from goalkeeper to attack. Inter considered Mile Svilar before his 2025 renewal, and came close to signing Mario Hermoso in 2024 before Oaktree's green-line policy on free transfers halted the move. The Nerazzurri also evaluated Evan N'Dicka and Gianluca Mancini, though the latter never wavered in his commitment to Roma despite Inter's interest. The clubs also conducted scouting missions for Nahuel Molina and Lorenzo Pellegrini on the flanks and in midfield. The biggest near-miss involved Manu Koné: in summer 2025, Inter reached an agreement worth 40 million euros, but Roma's ownership blocked the deal after a strong reaction from the supporters. The greatest regret for Inter remains Paulo Dybala, who came very close to joining the Nerazzurri in 2022. Zhang began to waver, Inzaghi was not entirely convinced, and Inter ultimately chose to pursue Lukaku's return on loan instead. That decision effectively cleared the path for Dybala's historic move to Roma.

Gian Piero Gasperini has almost his full squad available for Roma's clash with Inter, with Mario Hermoso back in training after an ankle contusion that forced him to miss Wednesday's session. The Spanish defender is now set to reclaim his place in the back line, though the team's defensive shape remains fluid with three significant selection dilemmas still unresolved. The primary doubt centres on the centre of defence, where Evan N'Dicka holds a slight edge over Leonardo Balerdi following the Argentine's strong performance in Turin. Balerdi's pace in covering and recovery could prove valuable against Inter's attackers in what Roma expect to be an open contest. With Gianluca Mancini likely on the right side of a back three, Hermoso completing the unit, and Mile Svilar in goal, the most probable defensive line is Mancini–N'Dicka–Hermoso, though Balerdi remains a serious challenger to the Ivorian until the final decision. On the right flank, Emanuele Lulli currently leads Nahuel Molina, with the choice complicated by the need to contain Dimarco, one of Inter's primary creative forces. Wesley should retain the left-back role. Midfield offers fewer surprises: Bryan Cristante and Manu Koné remain the leading candidates to start. The real tactical intrigue lies in the attacking third. Paulo Dybala and Donyell Malen are untouchable; the third attacking role remains open. Matías Soulé is pressing for inclusion, Rodrigo Mora remains an alternative, but Niccolò Pisilli warrants particular attention. Deploying the midfielder in a more advanced position would allow Roma to shift defensively, recreating a three-man midfield line and matching Inter's numerical strength in that area—a solution with significant tactical weight against a team that has troubled Gasperini for years through rotations between fullbacks, wing-backs and centre-backs. Gasperini has termed the match a "bank of prova" (test). Three genuine doubts persist: N'Dicka versus Balerdi, Lulli versus Molina, and Soulé versus Pisilli versus Mora. Roma have not beaten Inter at the Olimpico in ten years, and the tactical detail could prove decisive.

Roma host Inter tomorrow in a fixture that will offer early clarity on both sides' title credentials. Paulo Dybala and Lautaro Martínez, who won the World Cup together in Qatar in 2022, will face off again on the same Olimpico pitch where they celebrated that triumph. The two Argentine forwards represent starkly different football personalities: Dybala, born in Laguna Larga in Córdoba province, embodies class and technical beauty, while Martínez, from the coastal city of Bahía Blanca, has evolved into a lethal centre-forward and Inter captain in the mould of Javier Zanetti. They could have played alongside each other at Milan, and briefly did for Argentina, establishing a friendship that extends beyond the pitch to their families. For Roma, Dybala remains the standard-bearer of the club's ambitions. Head coach Gian Piero Gasperini has stated he will only discuss the Scudetto "after the twentieth matchday", yet this clash represents a crucial crossroads to gauge how far the Giallorossi have come and whether they can genuinely challenge Inter's dominance. Among those who have worn a Roma shirt, Dybala is most comparable to Francesco Totti in his touch, passing ability, and shooting—qualities that echo the maestoso of the club's greatest figure, even without wearing the number 10. That shirt belongs now to Martínez, who has transformed himself into a champion striker bearing the captain's armband. The numbers underline their different paths. Martínez has scored 177 goals in 380 Inter appearances and exceeded 20 league goals in three consecutive seasons from 2021 to 2024. Dybala's last goal came on 18 January, an unusual drought for a player of his calibre that Gasperini attributes to injury and an unconscious fear of shooting that will fade through regular playing time. In his absence, Donyell Malen has become Roma's primary scorer, but Malen speaks openly of receiving a "blessing" from Dybala. The Argentine's passing quality was evident in the goal against Turin, where Dybala's threading ball led to Malen's effort even before the finish that the statistics recorded. Both Roma and Inter now favour formations that use two forwards in close proximity—whether paired with two wingers in a 4-3-3 or two attacking midfielders in a 4-2-3-1—a tactical return to fashion driven by Gasperini and Chivu in Serie A. Roma often deploy a 3-4-2-1 that permits Dybala to find his own position alongside or just behind the primary striker. Dybala chose Roma in the summer of 2022 after Inter pursued him, and the article suggests he has harboured no regrets despite winning fewer trophies at the Giallorossi.

Marco Delvecchio, a former striker who has played for both Roma and Inter, has weighed in on the comparison between Donyell Malen and Lautaro Martínez ahead of the two clubs' upcoming meeting. Speaking to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Delvecchio gave a detailed technical analysis of both players, ultimately favouring Malen in the decisive areas of the pitch. Delvecchio rated Malen superior in the final third, highlighting his speed of execution and decision-making. "In the last twenty metres, I see Malen a step above Lautaro today," he said. "The difference lies mainly in the speed with which he can turn a favourable situation into a real goalscoring chance. He has very short execution times, he reads immediately where the shot can come from and rarely gives the defender time to return to the play. If I have to stick my neck out on the numbers at the end of the season, I say 25 goals for Malen and 20 for Lautaro." Delvecchio acknowledged Martínez's superiority in the air, crediting his positioning, timing of his jump, and movement. However, he returned to Malen when assessing overall technical quality. "On the technical level I give something more to Malen, especially for the quality of his first touch," Delvecchio explained. "It's a characteristic that strikes me a lot: he rarely receives the ball in a neutral way. The first touch is almost always already oriented to escape the pressure, move the opponent or open up a different line of play. He manages to take the ball from one side or the other without breaking the rhythm of the action, and this, especially in the final metres, allows him to gain that time which often makes the difference."

Gian Piero Gasperini has almost his full squad available for Roma's clash with Inter, with Mario Hermoso back in training after an ankle contusion that forced him to miss Wednesday's session. The Spanish defender is now set to reclaim his place in the back line, though the team's defensive shape remains fluid with three significant selection dilemmas still unresolved. The primary doubt centres on the centre of defence, where Evan N'Dicka holds a slight edge over Leonardo Balerdi following the Argentine's strong performance in Turin. Balerdi's pace in covering and recovery could prove valuable against Inter's attackers in what Roma expect to be an open contest. With Gianluca Mancini likely on the right side of a back three, Hermoso completing the unit, and Mile Svilar in goal, the most probable defensive line is Mancini–N'Dicka–Hermoso, though Balerdi remains a serious challenger to the Ivorian until the final decision. On the right flank, Emanuele Lulli currently leads Nahuel Molina, with the choice complicated by the need to contain Dimarco, one of Inter's primary creative forces. Wesley should retain the left-back role. Midfield offers fewer surprises: Bryan Cristante and Manu Koné remain the leading candidates to start. The real tactical intrigue lies in the attacking third. Paulo Dybala and Donyell Malen are untouchable; the third attacking role remains open. Matías Soulé is pressing for inclusion, Rodrigo Mora remains an alternative, but Niccolò Pisilli warrants particular attention. Deploying the midfielder in a more advanced position would allow Roma to shift defensively, recreating a three-man midfield line and matching Inter's numerical strength in that area—a solution with significant tactical weight against a team that has troubled Gasperini for years through rotations between fullbacks, wing-backs and centre-backs. Gasperini has termed the match a "bank of prova" (test). Three genuine doubts persist: N'Dicka versus Balerdi, Lulli versus Molina, and Soulé versus Pisilli versus Mora. Roma have not beaten Inter at the Olimpico in ten years, and the tactical detail could prove decisive.