Calciomercato Roma LIVE: Leweling si complica. Muro per Koné

Roma avoided losing Manu Kone to Chelsea on 1 September after head coach Gian Piero Gasperini intervened to stop the deal. Chelsea had approached the Friedkins directly with an offer worth €60 million plus a loan with an option to buy for winger Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, a player Gasperini had strongly sought. A meeting to finalise the transfer was scheduled for 12pm Italian time before Gasperini learned of the negotiations and moved to block it. Gasperini had expressed his determination to keep Kone only the previous evening, viewing the midfielder as essential to his plans. Kone impressed in Roma's recent match against Lecce on Monday. When the coach discovered the Chelsea talks, he contacted sporting director Tony D'Amico and together they escalated the issue to the Friedkins, causing the deal to stall and ultimately collapse. Roma had already begun exploring alternatives, with AC Milan's Youssouf Fofana identified as a potential replacement. Retaining Kone strengthens Roma's position as they aim to mount a title charge. Losing the France international at such a critical moment in the season would have damaged momentum—a particularly serious concern given Gasperini's reputation for strong reactions when matters do not develop to his satisfaction.

Jamie Leweling has rejected Roma's advances and chosen to remain at Stuttgart, ending the club's last-ditch attempt to complete a transfer before the 20:00 deadline on 1 September. The German winger, 25, turned down Roma's improved offer of €30 million fixed plus €5 million in bonuses, as well as proposals from other clubs including Everton, according to Sky Sport Deutschland's Florian Plettenberg. Roma had accelerated their pursuit over the previous day and appeared close to closing the deal after agreeing terms with Stuttgart. Head coach Gian Piero Gasperini had specifically requested two reinforcements before the transfer window closed, but the move now looks to have failed at the final hurdle. A private jet had been prepared and positioned in Stuttgart to transport Leweling to Rome once an agreement was reached, but the player requested time to consider his future and ultimately decided against the move. Evan Everton made a concrete proposal in the night as well, but the 2001-born winger opted to continue his career in the Bundesliga. Throughout the day, reports from Fabrizio Romano and Gianluca Di Marzio indicated that Leweling had begun to open the door to a transfer and was even summoned to Stuttgart's offices on the morning of 1 September after training. However, as the final hours of the window ticked away, his decision to stay became clear, leaving Roma without the attacking reinforcement Gasperini had sought.

Roma's pursuit of Leweling has ended in failure despite a last-ditch attempt to complete the deal before the transfer window closed on 1 September. The club raised its offer to €30 million plus €5 million in bonuses and secured the player's openness to joining, according to Sky Sport. Gasperini had made the German winger his priority target in the final days of the market, viewing him as the ideal profile for a Roma side chasing the Scudetto. The club had even organised a charter flight from Stuttgart to Ciampino, scheduled to depart at 16:00, in a bid to complete the paperwork before the 20:00 deadline. The agreement appeared to be moving swiftly until Leweling initially rejected the proposal, cooling momentum. Roma fought back with their increased offer and the player's subsequent change of heart raised hope of a dramatic late completion. The Giallorossi pulled out all the stops to make it happen. However, the charter flight was cancelled, and from that point the negotiations unravelled completely. There were no longer sufficient time to conclude the formalities, and the deal fell apart definitively. Roma attempted everything, secured the player's openness and went all-in in a final push, but it was not enough. The window may now close without the left-winger Gasperini had pursued until the final moments, leaving Roma's summer recruitment incomplete.