Roma takeover moves closer
American businessman Thomas Di Benedetto is close to finalising his purchase of Roma.
Di Benedetto landed in the Italian capital today to oversee the buyout of the Serie A club.
“Our aim is to make Roma one of the top clubs in the world,” Di Benedetto said in an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport.
“We want a team that the city will always be proud of, but of course this will take time.”
Di Benedetto, who is leading a group of investors to purchase the club, has held exclusive negotiations in recent weeks with Roma’s holding company Italpetroli – the Sensi family holding company which was taken over by UniCredit.
He hopes the takeover will be completed this week after his group’s bid was the most competitive of the five received by Roma.
“Rome is a wonderful city and for us to be able to represent it in the world is a great opportunity,” Di Benedetto said.
Roma are currently sixth in Serie A and six points behind Udinese, who hold the last Champions League qualifying spot with eight rounds remaining. The Giallorossi host Juventus on Sunday.
“We all hope that Roma qualifies for the Champions League,” Di Benedetto said. “Roma have recently recovered after a difficult period. But they still lack continuity. ”
Di Benedetto is also a partner in New England Sports Ventures, the company which owns the Boston Red Sox and Liverpool.
