The summer transfer market is beginning to stir, and Roma find themselves at the centre of a fresh approach as the Giallorossi continue to reshape their attacking options under Gian Piero Gasperini.
According to Gianluigi Longari, Dan Ndoye – the Swiss international winger currently at Nottingham Forest – has been offered to Roma as his camp seeks an escape route from an underwhelming spell in the East Midlands.
Dan Ndoye: The Winger on Roma’s Radar
Dan Ndoye is a player whose profile is well-known to Serie A followers.
The 24-year-old Swiss international came through OGC Nice and Basel before making his name at Bologna in 2023–24, where he flourished under Thiago Motta’s demanding system as a high-energy right winger with an exceptional capacity for progressive ball-carrying and pressing.
His performances helped Bologna qualify for the Champions League and earned him a place in Switzerland’s Euro 2024 squad, where his off-ball work and positional versatility across both flanks drew admiring glances from clubs across Europe.
Napoli and Inter Milan were both reportedly in the picture before Ndoye opted for the Premier League, with Forest paying a reported fee in the region of €40m plus add-ons – one of their most significant outlays in the modern era.
The move has not delivered on that promise. A ball-carrying facilitator by nature, he was effectively asked to fill the vertical threat left by Anthony Elanga’s departure to Newcastle – a poor fit that has blunted his impact considerably.
Why Ndoye Has Been Placed on the Market
The mechanics of this approach are agent-driven rather than club-initiated.
Those in Ndoye’s camp are reportedly exploring options on his behalf, with Roma among the clubs to have received an offer.
Forest, who finished outside European qualification this season, have provided neither the structural stability nor the continental stage that Ndoye’s game demands.
As one well-circulated piece of commentary put it, Ndoye has looked like a pressing winger trapped in a team that wanted him to be someone else entirely.
The instability at the City Ground has compounded those tactical mismatches, and it is little surprise that his representatives are looking to engineer a move before a second difficult season compounds the damage further.
Whether Forest would sanction a sale – and at what valuation, given the outlay involved – remains an open question.
A loan-to-buy structure may prove the most viable mechanism, allowing all parties to reduce their exposure while Ndoye rebuilds his standing in familiar surroundings.
What Ndoye Would Bring to Gasperini’s Attack
Roma’s interest, such as it is at this stage, makes a degree of tactical sense. Gasperini builds teams around high-pressing, dynamic wide players who can function both in and out of possession – exactly the profile Ndoye displayed so effectively at Bologna.
A return to Serie A would represent a homecoming of sorts for a player who genuinely thrived in the Italian game.
The Giallorossi have already moved smartly in attack, with the arrival of Donyell Malen representing a statement of Gasperini’s ambitions for the Stadio Olimpico.
Roma’s current transfer activity suggests a club building deliberately rather than reactively, and adding Ndoye would give Gasperini genuine width and pressing intensity on either flank.
He is not a guaranteed starter, but as a profile capable of functioning in multiple systems, he is exactly the kind of intelligent depth a Gasperini squad requires.
The Serie A familiarity alone makes him a lower-risk proposition than many alternatives.
The Obstacle: Zirkzee Comes First
This is where ambition meets arithmetic. Roma’s primary attacking target this summer remains Manchester United’s Joshua Zirkzee, and Gasperini’s side are unlikely to pursue multiple significant additions in the same position simultaneously.
Ndoye’s candidacy is real but contingent – progress on the Zirkzee front will largely determine how seriously Roma engage with this offer.
Inter Milan’s previously reported interest adds a layer of competition, though nothing concrete has emerged from that direction.
The fee question also looms: Forest will not willingly absorb a heavy loss on a player signed for €40m-plus just twelve months prior.
What’s Next in Roma’s Pursuit of Ndoye
The next few weeks of negotiation around Zirkzee will serve as the clearest indicator of whether this Ndoye offer progresses beyond an initial conversation.
Should Roma’s pursuit of the Dutchman stall – on fee, wages, or United’s willingness to sell – Ndoye could quickly move from a peripheral option to a genuine priority.
For Ndoye himself, a return to the league where he genuinely flourished is an appealing prospect, and Roma under Gasperini offer the kind of structured, high-intensity environment in which he has historically thrived.
The offer has been made. Now calcio waits to see whether the Giallorossi decide to answer it.
