'Totti and De Rossi are Roma'

By Football Italia staff

Roma chief James Pallotta revealed plans for an American tour, while “we plan to keep Francesco Totti and Daniele De Rossi for a long time. They are Roma.”

The American businessman has replaced Thomas Di Benedetto as the most hands-on investor in the club and is taking part in contract renewal negotiations with De Rossi, whose deal expires in June.

“Totti and De Rossi really represent Roma before well, which is why we want to keep them for a long time. They are Roma, in my view,” said the Bostonian.

“I came to Italy many times. My father is of Roman origins, while my mother’s family is from Bari. I consider myself 100 per cent Italian even before American,” he told Roma Channel.

“When I return to Boston and tell the other investors what I’ve seen here, I’ll say they ought to come and see what we are doing. I am more enthusiastic than ever and am so lucky to be one of the owners of Roma.

“To me this is not just an investment, but an opportunity to create something really special and have Roma on top of the world, because that’s where they belong. If Roma do well then it won’t change the financial life of the investors. It’s more about heart.

“We do have plans, because nobody is making the most of the Roma ‘brand.’ Merchandising options are significant and we have a tour of the United States in our ideas for the summer, but my tour would be the kind nobody has seen before.

“If we compare it to baseball, we can say that we’re at the first inning. There is so much we still haven’t revealed yet.”

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