Roma confirm Chelsea contact over Samuel

Roma sporting director Franco Baldini confirmed that his club have opened talks with Chelsea over the possible sale of defender Walter Samuel to the Champions League semi-finalists in the summer.

Although Baldini denied that the Blues have made an offer for the Argentina international, his comments indicate that Samuel’s days in the capital are numbered.

“I can confirm that Chelsea are interested in Walter Samuel,” Baldini told PA International.

“We have been in contact with the English club and they have requested information on the player, but they have made no official offer yet.”

Roma are second in Serie A but desperately need to sell some of their best players to assuage significant levels of debt.

Along with Brazilian midfielder Emerson, Samuel is the favourite to be sacrificed – especially as he has already expressed a desire to play in the Barclaycard Premiership if he leaves Roma.

Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich is more than capable of meeting the transfer fee and Samuel’s wage demands, and it appears that Samuel’s four-year stay in Rome, during which he has won an Italian title, is drawing to a close.