The midfielder is hopeful his compatriot will find his way to the Italian capital and has stressed Lazio are practically non-existent in Rome

Roma midfielder Miralem Pjanic has claimed that Manchester City striker Edin Dzeko has set his sights on a move to Serie A and could join the Stadio Olimpico side at some stage in the future.

Dzeko, who has a contract with City until June 2018, has made just 10 Premier League starts this season and has been linked with a move away from the Premier League champions on more than one occasion.

Pjanic has revealed that he regularly speaks to his fellow Bosnian over his future and has suggested Dzeko could continue his career in the Italian top flight.

"We are friends and he has told me that he would love to play in Serie A," Pjanic told La Repubblica.

"He is closely following Roma. It would be great if we could one day play together both for the national team and here at Roma."

The Bosnia-Herzegovina star then went on to discuss the rivalry between Roma and Lazio, with the capital clubs battling it out for second place in Serie A, and he was quick to stress that the Giallorossi are the city's most beloved side.

"When I joined Roma, [sporting director Walter] Sabatini already told me that the entire city supports us," Pjanic added. "Eight out of 10 fans support Roma. Lazio are practically non-existent.

"We obviously want to finish ahead of them in the table and we will do just that. We are a great team and we must defend our second place at all costs."

Roma currently hold a one-point lead over third-placed Lazio in the scrap for automatic qualification for next season's Champions League group stage.