Zaragoza departure confirmed: Roma will not activate purchase option

AC Milan are pursuing a loan deal for Real Madrid forward Endrick in January after failing to secure him in the summer transfer window. Jose Mourinho blocked the move months ago despite Milan's interest, but the Italian club believe the situation will shift in the new year and the Brazilian will be allowed to leave temporarily. Roma are also competing for the player and have made initial contact, with plans to speak to Real Madrid during their Champions League fixture in the coming weeks. Milan feel they retain a significant advantage because of their strong relationship with Endrick's representatives at RocNation, whom they have worked with regularly since 2020. Members of RedBird, Milan's ownership structure, also work with the NBA, which similarly deals with RocNation—a connection the club believes could prove decisive in January. Milan needed attacking reinforcement over the summer despite Omari Hutchinson's arrival, with Ruben Amorim forced to work around injuries to key players including Alexis Saelemaekers. The forward's availability on loan follows the pattern of last season, when a similar arrangement was used. Milan view the January window as a real opportunity to land a player who can provide the attacking depth Amorim's side requires.

Roma and AC Milan have both set their sights on Endrick, the Brazilian forward seeking greater opportunities after limited playing time at his current club. The Milan side hold a slight advantage in the race to sign him, with the competition expected to intensify in the coming weeks. Castro and Soulé, both Roma players, marked special nights with their debuts for Argentina's national team. Castro struck the post during the match, while Soulé produced several noteworthy moments. The pair now await Argentina's fixture against Benin, which will also serve as Lionel Messi's farewell appearance with the national team. Back at Roma, Gasperini is preparing the squad for an upcoming match against Como at the Sinigaglia stadium. Fabregas, Como's manager, recently offered praise for the Roma coach. Gasperini has also turned his attention beyond the Como fixture, directing a message toward Gattuso.

Former Roma defender Vincent Candela has predicted that Roma will defeat Real Madrid in their upcoming Champions League match at the Olimpico in ten days' time. Speaking at the FIP Gold Mediolanum Padel Cup in Perugia, Candela said: "It will be a celebration. I think Roma will win. I don't say it as a fan, but because I look at the characteristics of Gasperini's squad and the comparison with Mourinho's." Mario Hermoso has established himself as a cornerstone of Gasperini's Roma, impressing with his adaptability to the coach's tactical system. The club is now preparing to open contract renewal talks with the Spanish defender. Hermoso is seeking a two-year extension that would take his contract to 2029, but Roma's policy for players over 30 typically involves annual renewals. Both sides have expressed a willingness to continue together, with negotiations expected in the coming weeks. Elsewhere, Roma's interest in Frosinone's Giorgi Kvernadze—a Georgian prospect born in 2003 who has impressed early in the season—has prompted Frosinone president Maurizio Stirpe to distance the player from the market. Stirpe told the Corriere della Sera: "The possible sale of Kvernadze? Today it's only talk, I haven't received any phone calls. I only ever wait for official and concrete proposals." No formal offers have been made for the right-footed winger, whom Gasperini is reportedly keen to add to his squad.

Andrea Stramaccioni, now a DAZN commentator, has analysed Roma's position after their match against Inter, arguing that the gap between the two clubs has narrowed significantly despite Inter remaining the stronger side overall. Speaking on Teleradiostereo, he attributed the improvement to a shift in mentality rather than marquee recruitment, pointing to Gasperini's second season at the club as the turning point. "It's not that a champion arrived who changes your eleven, but we're already in Gasperini's second year and you can see it," Stramaccioni said. "The way you recovered the match against Atalanta is a fundamental leap forward, but also how you managed the Turin game. You've increased your resources, found a fourth starting defender in Balerdi. In this I see the gap reduced." Stramaccioni explained that Gasperini struggles specifically against Inter's 3-5-2 formation because of how Inter's attacking shape is structured. "I'm not speaking in general—I'm talking about Inter's 3-5-2," he said. "Usually he inverts the attacking fulcrum in these cases, probably one player will deal with Zielinski and he could do it with Soulé or Mora. But also by advancing Pisilli. Usually Gasperini suffers in Inter's attacking quadrilateral. Because if you lose track of those four, they hurt you." He cited last season's away match where Ndicka struggled marking opposition players and was caught out for a goal. On Roma's own strengths, Stramaccioni identified their low build-up play as a potential weapon. "The biggest problem for Chivu is in Roma's construction from the back, because Inter rarely uses three players to press. The structure of Gasp's construction can cause more problems to a team like Inter than to Como," he explained. "If Dybala starts to move well across the pitch you take away a centre-back like Bastoni. Gasperini won't change his approach—he'll play it open-faced. If you have a chance you take it with maximum intensity. The important thing is not to come away empty because Inter's strikers don't forgive mistakes." Stramaccioni also assessed Rodrigo Mora's potential at the club. "Gasperini wants someone with a low centre of gravity like Papu Gomez was, he tried it with Zaragoza but it went very badly. He exalts him because he sees those characteristics he needs," he said. "He hasn't had the impact Malen has, but he's also 19. There have been other short players who strengthened the physical bulk—Di Natale and Sneijder. He'll improve too; he has enormous room for growth." Finally, Stramaccioni identified Roma's lack of a ball-carrier in midfield as a key weakness. "This is Gasperini's great frustration. Roma is missing a player who in moments of tiredness attacks the depth—that player the coach expected from the transfer market. There's no one who breaks lines; they're all players you have to feed the ball to. Then you'll have to become more speculative in that sense."

Roma and Inter will meet on the pitch this Saturday as the Serie A leaders, but behind the fixture lies a stark contrast in how their respective owners build and sustain their projects. Gian Piero Gasperini's Roma have invested €211 million in player acquisitions since his arrival, while Cristian Chivu's Inter have spent €186 million—a gap of €25 million that illustrates the Friedkin Group's commitment to backing the sporting project despite UEFA financial fair play constraints. By contrast, Inter's ownership under Oaktree has prioritised economic and financial stability. The €211 million Roma figure spans the campaigns that began with Gasperini's appointment. In the 2025–26 season, Roma spent €86.5 million, with Wesley arriving for €25 million and Neil El Aynaoui for €23 million, alongside Robinio Vaz (€20 million), Jan Ziółkowski (€6.5 million), and several expensive loans including Donyell Malen, Bailey, Evan Ferguson, Daniele Ghilardi and Zaragoza. The acceleration came this summer: the Friedkin Group approved €124.5 million for 2026–27, comprising Santiago Castro (€35 million), Rodrigo Mora (€25 million), Malen's permanent transfer (€25 million), Konstantinos Koulierakis (€16.5 million), Nahuel Molina (€13 million), Ghilardi's purchase (€8 million), Marten de Roon (€1 million) and Leonardo Balerdi's loan (€1 million). The Porto agreement for Mora includes a further €25 million for 2027 or 50 per cent of any future sale. The contrast deepens when examining the wider impact on club finances. Since summer 2025, Roma's squad costs—including salaries, depreciation and loan fees—have risen by approximately €15 million, while Inter's have fallen by approximately €10 million. The Friedkin Group has covered losses through fresh capital injections, accepting red accounts to sustain sporting growth; Roma has not closed a profitable financial year since their 2020 arrival, with 2025–26 expected to end in loss. Oaktree delivered a €35 million profit in its first Inter season and is preparing to close the next year in the black. Both approaches remain valid: Chivu inherited a structured squad already competing at the highest level, while Gasperini was tasked with rebuilding after Roma's seven-year absence from the Champions League. Saturday's direct clash will test both strategies on the pitch. One club has chosen acceleration to close the gap; the other is maintaining competitiveness while reducing the squad's economic burden.

As Roma and Inter prepare to meet this week, the two clubs' transfer philosophies have diverged sharply over the past two years. The Friedkin Group has committed €211m in investment across two seasons under Gian Piero Gasperini, while Inter's owners Oaktree have adopted a more cautious strategy, spending €186m under Cristian Chivu with an emphasis on youth development and financial stability. In Gasperini's first season at Roma (2025-26), the club invested €86.5m across the transfer window and January. Summer arrivals included Wesley (€25m) and El Aynaoui (€23m), followed by Robinio Vaz (€20m) in January and a costly loan deal for Donyell Malen (€2m). The squad was further bolstered by acquisitions and loans involving Ziolkowski, Bailey, Ferguson, Ghilardi and Zaragoza. The current 2026-27 campaign has seen Roma spend €124.5m, with major moves including the permanent purchase of Malen (€25m), Santiago Castro (€35m), Rodrigo Mora (€25m), Konstantinos Koulierakis (€16.5m), Nahuel Molina (€13m) and Marten de Roon (€1m), plus the redemption of Ghilardi (€8m) and the loan of Leonardo Balerdi (€1m). Over two years, these investments have increased the squad's salary and amortisation costs by approximately €15m. Inter's approach under Oaktree reflects cost containment and team development. During Chivu's first season they acquired younger talent including Luis Henrique (€24.5m), Bonny (€23m), Diouf (€20m) and Sucic (€15.5m), plus Akanji on loan (€1m), totalling €84m. The 2026-27 window has seen just €102m committed to signings, bringing cumulative Chivu-era spending to €186m. Unlike Roma, Inter has cut squad costs by approximately €10m over the same period, inheriting a competitive core that required less overhaul.