Nahuel Molina

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.

Gasperini is preparing Roma's opening lineup for Monday's visit of Fiorentina, with the shape of his team already taking clearer form in the final days of the transfer window. The Stadio Olimpico will host Fiorentina, managed by Grosso, who despite their youth and last season's league position will present a stern test. Gasperini has identified Fiorentina's preference for a 4-3-3 setup during summer friendlies and is likely to counter with a 3-4-1-2 formation against their four-man defence, adapting his usual structure. That system would see Rodrigo Mora operating as the trequartista behind the Paulo Dybala and Donyell Malen partnership, a position where the Argentine could make an immediate impact and deliver more options than Matías Soulé offers from the left flank. The formation can shift to a 3-4-2-1 during play when Malen presses higher up the pitch. Gasperini will keep some selection decisions until the final stages of Monday's match. Wesley and Molina appear set for the right flank, while Kostas Tsimikas contests the left-back role against Mario Hermoso for a starting place. The central defensive duel between Evan N'Dicka and Fiorentina's Kean will be a critical battleground — N'Dicka has struggled more than usual against Kean's pace and explosive moments from his time at Juventus. Fiorentina's Arthur Atta will be their wildcard variable, looking to disrupt Roma's defensive shape by dropping deep and unsettling the back line. Molina will have dual duties: creating danger down the flank through his runs while containing the constant forward drives of Valdepeñas. The final training session takes place this afternoon at Trigoria, where remaining selection dilemmas—including the Mora-Soulé contest and the Cristante-Neil El Aynaoui decision—will be resolved. Gasperini continues to wait for one more attacking wide player with different characteristics from Mora during the summer window. Monday brings the first competitive test of the season, a tactical chess match between two managers with distinct philosophies and clear identities. Roma will need a strong start in a title race that this year features more Champions League contenders than ever before.

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 are closing on a deal to sign Alessio Cacciamani from Torino, with the gap between the two clubs narrowing to around €2 million. Director D'Amico is working multiple fronts to complete Gian Piero Gasperini's squad ahead of the season's official start in two weeks. Cacciamani, born in 2007, is one of Italy's most promising young talents and already capped at Under-21 level. He made his Serie A debut in Torino's colours and starred in Serie B for Juve Stabia during the 2025-26 season. Roma's latest offer stands at €12 million, with Torino's asking price just €2 million higher—a gap the Giallorossi believe is bridgeable for both sides. He would serve as a backup left winger to the ever-present Wesley, with Molina and Rensch occupying the other flank. Cacciamani and two attacking midfielders would give Gasperini's Roma the profile needed for a Champions League campaign. In parallel, D'Amico is working on an exit that would generate profit on the books. Jan Ziółkowski is expected to receive an official offer from Saudi Arabia totalling around €20 million—a significant margin on the €6 million paid to Legia Warsaw for the Polish defender last summer. Matías Soulé is also a possible departure and could facilitate a move for Endrick, though no formal bids have arrived for him yet, including from AC Milan, which had shown interest in recent days without making a concrete advance. The club faces a deadline of two weeks before the season officially begins, creating logical urgency to complete its business across the transfer market.

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."

Roma face Fiorentina in their Serie A opener on 24 August with Nahuel Molina poised to make his debut at right-back, ahead of Devyne Rensch, while Wesley is fully fit at left-back after recovering from an ankle problem. Head coach Gian Piero Gasperini's main uncertainty centres on the attacking midfield slot alongside Paulo Dybala and behind centre-forward Donyell Malen. Matías Soulé currently leads the competition for the position after impressing the coaching staff with his dedication since the start of pre-season, losing excess weight and setting aside transfer speculation. Rodrigo Mora provides competition and is eager to make his debut. Gasperini retains a tactical option to consider deploying Bryan Cristante as a number 10. The 1995-born midfielder has been used repeatedly in that role during the previous season in Roma's 3-4-1-2 formation, delivering balance and positive results. Should Gasperini select Cristante, the midfield would comprise Manu Koné alongside either Neil El Aynaoui or Niccolò Pisilli. The final decision will come only after the pre-match training session on 24 August, with Gasperini assessing the fitness of El Aynaoui, who remains behind schedule following the World Cup, and Pisilli, who has only recently rejoined the squad.