Roma chiefs quash De Rossi exit rumours

Roma claim they have no plans to sell midfielder Daniele De Rossi in the January transfer window.

The Italy international has been out of favour with coach Zdenek Zeman and linked with a move away from Stadio Olimpico, but club president James Pallotta denied there was any plan to let him leave .

“We have no intention of selling him. We’re not in touch with any other clubs and we have not received any offers. It’s all speculation,” he told reporters at a press conference.

Sports director Franco Baldini echoed the sentiments of Pallotta and revealed the American was laughing at the number of rumours surrounding the player that had appeared in the press.

“The president enjoyed himself this morning by reading about how many clubs we had sold De Rossi to. As I’ve always said, there is no intention of selling him,” he said.

The pair also confirmed the arrival of Italo Zanzi as the club’s new CEO, and Pallotta admitted failure to qualify for the Champions League would be a major disappointment.

“The principle objective is to create a good side from now and for the next 10 years and one of the biggest brands in the world,” he said.

“This year’s target is to qualify for the Champions League and we’ll be disappointed if that doesn’t happen.”

Pallotta also announced the club is looking to move away from Stadio Olimpico and build a new ground that he said will be up and running “within the next five years”.