Amantino Mancini has again pledged his future to Roma - barely hours about yesterday's morning press reports revealed enquiries had arrived from Real Madrid and Juventus for the Brazilian.

"First of all I would like to clarify that I never rejected any meeting with general manager Rosella Sensi," he told Roma Channel. "I have been at Roma for five years and never had any problems with the club. In fact, my rapport with the Giallorossi is one of honesty and friendship.

"The only problem is that so far we have not been able to reach an agreement over my contract extension, but these are things that happen. We will talk about it again in future and I hope to strike a deal because I want to remain with Roma."

This is not the first time that Mancini has had to pledge his future to the side, as a section of the fans turned on him after reports of negotiations with hated rivals Juventus last year.

"Rome is a city where I and my family are very happy and we want to stay, but in football everyone knows that problems can occur when a contract approaches its expiry. This is because both the club and the player try to defend their own interests."