Manna, who joined Napoli from Juventus's Next Generation academy setup in June 2023, became the primary target of AS Roma's American owners, the Friedkin Group, following the dismissal of sporting director Frédéric Massara earlier this season.
His work building cohesive squads with young talent at both Juventus Next Gen and Napoli convinced Roma's hierarchy he was the right profile for a significant rebuild.
The appointment is part of a wider structural overhaul at Trigoria since the departure of club legend Claudio Ranieri from his advisory board role. Gasperini, who joined from Atalanta last summer, has made clear he wants total alignment between the playing structure and the recruitment department — the same model he built at Atalanta across a decade of sustained success.
Manna's profile resonates directly with that requirement. At Napoli he worked under director of football Cristiano Giuntoli — who has since moved to Juventus — to construct a squad that balanced youth development with experienced additions, drawing on a wide-ranging network of scouts across South America and Africa. His relationship with Gasperini is understood to be positive following conversations during the process.
Roma are under financial pressure to raise significant capital gains by June 30 under their UEFA settlement agreement. A new sporting director with established market relationships will be essential in identifying both sale targets and replacements. Players including Evan Ndicka, Manu Koné and Mile Svilar have all been flagged as potential departures.
Napoli are understood to have accepted they cannot hold Manna against his wishes and have begun identifying potential successors. The appointment formalises what has been a priority appointment for Roma's ownership and reflects the club's commitment to giving Gasperini the infrastructure to build a long-term project.