Roma close to US ownership

 A New York lawyer landed in Rome Thursday to conclude long-rumoured negotiations to take over the club, it was reported.

 Repubblica.it reported that Joseph Tacopina arrived in the capital to negotiate the purchase with the backing of Soros.

 His arrival in Rome had been announced Wednesday by the New York Post, which quoted an undisclosed source as saying he was set to take over the club's presidency from the current ailing owner Franco Sensi.

 The Sensi family have controlled Roma for the past 15 years through Italpetroli, an oil company reportedly indebted for 377 million euros (590 million dollars), which would largely benefit from a sale bringing about 283 million euros into their coffers.

 Roma Wednesday denied any scheduled meeting relating to the club's sale.

 Tacopina has Italian origins and is said to have long been a major fan of Roma. He is a noted criminal defence lawyer who founded a successful law firm in New York in 1994.

 A large part of the purchase should be financed by Soros. The Hungary-born high-profile investor and philanthropist made his bid to buy Roma public in April after months of speculation.

DPA