Roma Taking an Extended Look at Free Agent Defender | OneFootball

Roma could take advantage of the extra-long break to bring in a free agent and have had some contacts with Matteo Darmian as of late. He has been approached by a few smaller sides during the summer, but nothing has come to fruition.

According to Tuttomercatoweb, the Giallorossi have an open spot after sending Anass Salah-Eddine to Panathinaikos on loan with a €7M option to buy. In reality, he was never part of the plans despite a solid spell at PSV and being called up for the World Cup by Morocco.

If Roma made an offer, Darmian would be more inclined to take it rather than join, for instance, Parma or Torino. He might not wait for long, though. He has received lucrative proposals to head to Dubai.

The veteran wasn’t retained by Inter last summer, leaving the club after 6 years and over 200 appearances. He starred just nine times in 2025/2026 because of the competition and a serious calf injury.

The 36-year-old Milan product got his start at Palermo, blossomed at Torino before transferring to Manchester United and then returning to Italy, first at Parma and then at Inter.

Our Take on Roma and Darmian

Their wingback corps aren’t perfect, but they are in a good spot. All their four options have been perfectly fine, and Emanuele Lulli is an early revelation. If they opted for one addition to be totally safe in a demanding role, a lefty would be preferable. Gian Piero Gasperini likes to have as many experienced players as possible, but the former Nerazzurri man didn’t seem to have much left in the tank last year.