Soros says he was never interested in Roma

American billionaire businessman George Soros has declared that he never held any interest in buying AS Roma, despite constant reports to the contrary during the summer.

The Italian press has been full of reports this year that Roma will be sold to new owners due to the fact that the club's parent company, Italpetroli, were estimated to possess debts in the region of $525 million.

Many of the groups linked with a take-over have all been led by American businessmen. The name most associated has been that of 78-year-old billionaire Soros.

Soros' apparent attempt to buy Roma had become something of a soap opera during the summer, with claims and counter-claims from both sides about whether the deal was ever going to go through.

At one point it was claimed that Soros was 24 hours away from buying the Giallorossi, and was offering $402 million including $311 million for the family's 66 percent stake in the club.

However, the deal never materialized, and eventually stories of a takeover disappeared into thin air, with the Sensi family maintaining control of the club.

Soros, who has been heavily involved in improving the profile of Rome in the European Union, has now revealed that he never had any intention of buying one of the city's two big football clubs.

"It's strange," he said of the speculation. "I received much more attention for my apparent interest in Roma -- which was virtually nil -- than my efforts dedicated to Rome."

The Giallorossi have had something of a disastrous start to the new season, and on Tuesday were humiliatingly beaten by Romanian minnow Cluj in the Champions League group stage.