Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis has claimed Liverpool and Roma share the same owner.

“Roma were dismantled and reassembled, I can’t evaluate them: I wouldn’t have sold Alisson, not even for €100m (£90m/$114m),” he told Corriere dello Sport.

“I had offered €60m (£54m/$68m) for him and they didn’t want to give him to us… But then I understood that he would go to Liverpool.

“I’ve always suspected that the real owner of Liverpool is also that of Rome. A little bird whispered it in my ear a few years ago. And if that is true, with a shared ownership they could not both compete in the Champions League.”

De Laurentiis is confident heading into the new season under Carlo Ancelotti.

“I was struck by Ancelotti’s desire to return to coaching in a league that is returning to being competitive with the best leagues in Europe,” he said.