Football
Ben Gladwell, Italy correspondent 8y

Roma poised to announce new Francesco Totti deal signed - reports

Roma are set to announce that captain Francesco Totti has signed a new one-year contract following the Serie A clash at Genoa this weekend, according to reports in Italy.

Totti, 39, is out of contract in the summer, but Roma general manager Mauro Baldissoni is reported to have returned from a trip to Boston to meet club president James Pallotta with permission to offer the striker a new deal.

Reports in Il Corriere dello SportĀ and La Gazzetta dello Sport have said Roma would hold back on making an official announcement until after the Genoa game.

They then hope to fill the Stadio Olimpico for the clash with Chievo a week later, when Totti's new contract can be celebrated in front of the club's fans.

A renewal had seemed unlikely at the turn of the year, when Totti complained about a lack of opportunities under coach Luciano Spalletti and Pallotta said he needed to realise when was the time to call it a day.

However, Totti has made a major contribution in recent weeks, with three goals in four substitute appearances, and this appears to have convinced Pallotta to grant him a deal for another year.

He is likely to accept a big cut in wages to fulfill his dream of playing beyond his 40th birthday for the only club he has represented in his career.

Totti, the Champions League's all-time oldest goalscorer, may now get the opportunity to score in that competition again next season.

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