Ashley Cole has had the last year of his contract with Roma terminated. The 34-year-old, who signed a two-year deal in Italy last summer after the expiration of his Chelsea contract, made only 11 Serie A appearances last season and has hardly featured in coach Rudi García’s pre-season preparations.

On Friday, Cole, who made 107 England appearances, was not included in the 26-man squad to be presented to fans at the Stadio Olimpico before the match against the Europa league winners Sevilla, and the Italian club confirmed to the Guardian that they had agreed to terminate his contract one year early.

Roma have been linked with a move for the Paris Saint-Germain defender Lucas Digne, with the 22-year-old Frenchman expected to join on loan.

New signings from the Premier League Wojciech Szczesny, Mohamed Salah and Edin Dzeko are in the Roma squad, alongside the 38-year-old Francesco Totti – about to begin his 24th season at the club.