Francesco Totti has warned Roma they must buy at least two more star players to hope of competing for the top three places.

“John Arne Riise and Simone Loria are two excellent reinforcements, but now I expect another two signings of great quality,” he told the Gazzetta dello Sport.

“If we want to compete with Inter, Milan and Juventus, we need at least two more important players. At the moment, we are the fourth strongest side in Serie A.”

While those two have been brought in from Liverpool and Siena respectively, Roma have also sold Amantino Mancini, Ludovic Giuly and Matteo Ferrari.

It is particularly galling to lose Mancini to rivals Inter just a year after Cristian Chivu made the same journey.

“Inter are trying to strengthen their side by weakening ours. They have the capabilities to cherry-pick from other clubs, while it is more difficult for us.”

Transfer gossip has them very close to capturing Brazilian hitman Julio Baptista from Real Madrid, although there are also rumours that Jose Antonio Reyes is on his way from Atletico Madrid.

“I like Baptista and hope he does come to Roma, but we need another reinforcement after that.”

The transfer market could make a sharp turn for the Giallorossi after it was announced this morning that Italpetroli – the Sensi family’s company that owns Roma – have agreed to extend the terms of their loan with UniCredit.

This means more cash is freed up in the short-term to spend on new players.

“We will try to repeat our past success and aim for something more important than the Coppa Italia,” said the captain.

“The fact the Champions League Final will be played in Rome is an event that for my generation won’t return again. It is our objective, even more so than the Scudetto.”

The last time this match was hosted by the Italian capital was in 1984, when Liverpool and Bruce Grobbelaar’s ‘spaghetti legs’ saw off the Giallorossi in a shoot-out.

“I was eight years old. I watched it on television with my whole family. I remember Roberto Pruzzo’s goal and the silence during the penalties. Rome was mute.”

Ref From channel4.com

French winger Ludovic Giuly is keen to quit Roma and is moving towards French side PSG, according to his agent.

The diminutive star, known as ‘The Perilous Pixie’, joined the Giallorossi last summer from Barcelona with high hopes but was limited to a peripheral role in his first Serie A season.

And now the 32-year-old is keen to return to his homeland in search of first-team football.

“Giuly wants to leave Roma, not because of family issues, but because he is playing rarely here,” agent Alain Migliaccio told Il Romanista.

“I can say that a talks with PSG are in progress, but I don’t know what terms have been discussed.

“I do know that there isn’t a problem with money at Roma, but Ludovic thought he would be playing consistently.

“Instead he has been used less than he was at Barcelona and I can confirm that he won’t be staying in Rome.”

Ref From channel4.com