Konstantinos Koulierakis

Rafael Leão has become a fresh target for Roma's final stretch of the transfer window after the Portuguese winger opened to a possible move to the club in recent hours. No advanced negotiations are currently under way, but Roma are studying a sustainable formula centred on payment structure. The real obstacle remains agreement with Milan, who value Leão at €40 million plus €5 million in bonuses. A conversation between Gerry Cardinale and Leão's agent Jorge Mendes could prove decisive in the coming hours in determining which scenarios are genuinely feasible. At Trigoria, Tony D'Amico is observing closely: Leão is considered an ideal profile for Gasperini's attacking department, but concrete openings from Milan will be needed before any serious move. Roma remain undeterred in their pursuit of Jamie Bynoe-Gittens and have made a new attempt to sign the Chelsea winger. The negotiation remains tied to the structure of the deal. Chelsea do not view the player as outside their project and are unwilling to accept a loan without guarantees. To persuade the Blues, Roma will need to present either a permanent offer or a loan with a mandatory purchase obligation. Roma's defensive department has become particularly rich in alternatives following the arrival of Koulierakis and the imminent arrival of Jayden Oosterwolde. With this in mind, in the final days of the window, either Ziółkowski or Ghilardi could leave Trigoria to find more playing time. Polish defender Ziółkowski is the subject of strong interest from Saudi Arabia, while Ghilardi appeals to Bologna. The Emilia side are tracking him as a possible replacement for Lucumì: there is concrete interest at present, but a formal negotiation has not yet begun. Roma will make their Serie A home debut tomorrow at 20:45 against Fiorentina at the Stadio Olimpico, which is heading towards a sell-out. Gates open at 18:45 and the club advises supporters to arrive at least 90 minutes early to avoid queues at the turnstiles. The Box 4 on via Nigra will be active from 17:45 until kick-off for any needs, while from 09:00 it will be possible to contact Roma via Contact Centre, telephone or email.

Bologna are monitoring Roma defender Jan Ziółkowski and Daniele Ghilardi as potential departures from the Giallorossi in the final days of the transfer window. Roma's defensive ranks have become crowded following the acquisitions of Koulierakis and the imminent arrival of Oosterwolde, creating the possibility that Gasperini could allow players to leave in search of greater playing time while generating revenue for the club. Both Ziółkowski and Ghilardi occupied lower positions in the manager's hierarchy last season and are regarded as potential exits. Ziółkowski has attracted strong interest from Saudi Arabia, while Ghilardi could remain in Italy. According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, the latter has become a target for Bologna, who are seeking a new centre-back following Lucumì's departure. Bologna hold genuine interest in the player, though no formal negotiations have yet been initiated. The situation is expected to develop in the coming days.

Roma's Serie A season opens on Monday at the Olimpico against Fiorentina. Gasperini will largely depend on the core squad from last season, with few new faces starting from the first minute. Molina is certain of a place in the lineup, while Mora is competing with Soulé for a starting spot. Castro and Koulierakis will begin on the bench. Malen and Dybala will lead the attack, with Koné expected to start in midfield alongside Cristante, and Wesley playing on the left. The defence will feature the familiar trio of Mancini, Ndicka, and Hermoso. Roma–Fiorentina is the opening fixture of Serie A Enilive. The match will be broadcast live on DAZN and in co-exclusive coverage on Sky Sport, with kickoff at 20:45. Viewers will need a DAZN subscription to watch on television; the app can be downloaded on smart TV, Xbox, or PlayStation. Alternatively, the match can be streamed via Amazon Fire TV Stick, Google Chromecast, and TIM VISION Box. Live commentary will be available on Forzaroma.info, with updates across Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

Roma are pushing to complete their squad before the transfer window closes, with Jamie Gittens emerging as a priority target. The Chelsea winger, a left-footer playing on the right flank, is available on loan and is being monitored after missing significant time last season through a thigh injury. Roma want a straight loan deal but are open to structuring the move with conditional obligations attached. The club believes the injury poses no lasting concern and views Gittens, born in 2004, as a quality option. Chelsea will play Fulham away at roughly the same time Roma face Fiorentina, with both clubs expected to reconvene on negotiations from Tuesday onwards. The transfer push comes as Roma seek to balance adding depth with financial discipline ahead of an autumn UEFA judgment on their settlement agreement compliance. After investing heavily in Castro, Rodrigo Mora, Koulierakis and Molina, the club is now eyeing loan moves with optional purchase clauses to avoid further strain on the balance sheet while maintaining competitive quality across three fronts following their Champions League qualification secured in May. Head coach Gian Piero Gasperini requires a complete, competitive roster. On the left flank, Roma continue monitoring Cacciamani from Torino, though the club's asking price remains a barrier to a deal. A new option has emerged in Jayden Oosterwolde, a Dutch centre-back capable of playing left-back. Currently at Fenerbahce, Oosterwolde is sidelined by injury with an expected return in three weeks. Roma have studied his file and can close a loan agreement with a discount given his current unavailability. The winger Endrick, meanwhile, has suffered an injury that will rule him out of Real Madrid's opening fixture tonight against Espanyol, dimming any late market hopes around the Brazilian.

Roma's summer transfer strategy underwent a dramatic reversal during the window, moving away from established stars towards younger, more financially sustainable targets. Head coach Gian Piero Gasperini had begun the window pursuing elite profiles including Mason Greenwood, Crysencio Summerville and Antonio Nusa, but as weeks passed the club progressively shifted direction. The turning point came when Roma abandoned a planned deal for Summerville and instead invested rapidly: 36 million plus 3 million in bonuses for Castro, 16.5 million plus 1.5 million for Koulierakis, and 13 million plus 4 million for Molina. These signings consumed the available budget and forced a complete change in approach. The root cause lies in Roma's Settlement Agreement with UEFA. Gasperini believed Champions League qualification would ease financial constraints, but the club's wage cap restrictions proved immovable. A decisive meeting during the club's Wales retreat saw CEO John Galantic communicate the ownership's new direction to the coaching staff: away from expensive, established players and towards young prospects capable of appreciating in value. Gasperini acknowledged the shift: "We started looking for very high-profile players but had to contend with the need to keep the wage bill under certain ceilings. Communications changed." He added: "I thought that once we reached the Champions League, financial fair play problems were solved and maybe the club thought so too. We had a different vision that we had to change over the weeks, including as strategies." Gasperini explained the domino effect of the decisions: "Maybe if we had done Summerville we couldn't have done anything else. Or perhaps his contract was sustainable at that moment." On UEFA's constraints, he stated: "There are situations that UEFA imposes from which the ownership cannot escape. All this forces us into a creative market, a necessity that also comes from what was done in previous years. In perspective Roma will certainly have value, but now the reckoning has arrived." The final phase of the window sees the club still seeking two players—a central midfielder (with Oosterwolde arriving for that role) and an attacking winger—but any additions must maintain financial balance. Gasperini confirmed: "Yes, two players. The left winger? We'll take it only if it brings added value."

Gian Piero Gasperini arrived at Roma in June with ambitions to sign elite attacking talent such as Mason Greenwood, Luis Summerville or Alexander Nusa, but faces the close of the transfer window having settled for younger, more sustainable prospects. Oosterwolde is expected to arrive in the coming days as one of two final signings, but the manager's publicly measured tone masks deeper disappointment at what proved achievable against his original vision for the squad. The shift reflects the club's financial constraints under UEFA's settlement agreement with Roma. The constraint has not only limited inbound spending but appears to have narrowly governed outbound movement as well. On 21 July, Roma sent a private aircraft to Rotterdam to pursue Summerville, whose transfer would have cost €53 million in fees plus €4 million in annual wages including bonuses. When that move collapsed, Gasperini suggested the dynamics altered: "Perhaps if we had done Summerville we couldn't have done anything else. Or perhaps his contract was sustainable at that moment." The comment hints that Roma's operational budget suddenly contracted mid-window, forcing a change in strategy communicated by ownership during a meeting at a location in Wales. The timing and scale of other moves support this reading. After Al Hilal's counter-offer prompted Roma to act quickly, the club signed Castro (€36 million plus €3 million add-ons), Koulierakis (€16.5 million plus €1.5 million) and Molina (€13 million plus €4 million—an unplanned expense given the earlier expectation Çelik would remain). A club source indicated that "Roma has already had two payment deferrals with UEFA and cannot have more. Now comes the reckoning." The new stance, communicated as ownership's direction, prioritizes younger profiles over established names, regardless of sporting ambition. Gasperini blamed the Financial Fair Play framework: "It is limiting; perhaps Roma is the only club in Italy that must pay this price." The tension between what he sought and what the transfer market delivered will shape his approach to the new season.