Napoli President Implies Liverpool, Roma Have Shared Ownership
Napoli chief Aurelio De Laurentiis has accused Liverpool and AS Roma of sharing ownership in the wake of Alisson's sensational move to Anfield.
The president of the Naples outfit has revealed that his side had also made an offer for the Brazilian stopper but they were turned down, only for the player to leave for the Premier League and join ranks with Liverpool.
Roma and Liverpool are both owned by Americans. Billionaire James Pallotta owns the Italian side, while the Fenway Sports Group, managed by John W Henry, are in charge of the Reds.
De Laurentiis, however, has suggested that there is a tighter connection between the two clubs than meets the eye and that they could be breaking UEFA rules.
"Roma were dismantled and reassembled, I can't evaluate them: I wouldn't have sold Alisson, not even for €100m (£90m/$114m)," the film producer told Corriere dello Sport.
"I had offered €60m (£54m/$68m) for him and they didn't want to give him to us...but then I understood that he would go to Liverpool.
"I've always suspected that the real owner of Liverpool is also that of Rome. A little bird whispered it in my ear a few years ago. And if that is true, with a shared ownership they could not both compete in the Champions League."
De Laurentiis is feeling pretty confident ahead of the new season, despite losing Pepe Reina, Maurizio Sarri and missing out on Alisson. But I Partenopei have since appointed a legendary coach in Carlo Ancelotti, who has surprised their president by accepting their offer to return to Italy.
"I was struck by Ancelotti's desire to return to coaching in a league that is returning to being competitive with the best leagues in Europe," he remarked.
"I'll quote a sentence from Carlo: 'I'm not here to comb the dolls'. I'm a supporter of Ancelotti, I do not worry about him, I know he will need time but the fans are desperate, they want to win: we want to win but we will need patience."
