Tottenham's chances of hiring Franco Baldini as their new director of football could improve today with the Italian due to meet Roma president James Pallotta to discuss his future.
Pallotta, a member of the American group who own Roma, is in the Italian capital to lay the foundations for next season’s campaign. He plans to hold talks with a number of senior figures at the club, one of whom will be Baldini.
Standard Sport understands that Baldini could even offer to leave Roma after the Italian cup final against city rivals Lazio on Sunday. It will then fall to Pallotta to decide whether to allow Baldini to depart or to redefine his role.
Baldini is thought to be keen to work in England again, following his stint as right-hand man to Fabio Capello when he was in charge of the national team. He also has a good relationship with Tottenham head coach Andre Villas-Boas.
Baldini has been general manager at Roma since 2011, his second spell at the club. But life has not been easy on or off the pitch during his tenure.
Neither of the pre-season managerial appointments, Luis Enrique in 2011 and Zdenek Zeman last year, delivered the results the club were hoping for. They have missed out on Champions League football again and will fail to qualify for Europe altogether unless they overcome Lazio in the cup final.
As a result, there is a feeling that Baldini could decide on a change of scene. The final decision will rest with Pallotta, but Spurs remain interested in bringing in Baldini to bridge the gap between the coaching staff, led by Villas-Boas, and the boardroom.
Walter Sabatini, Roma’s sporting director, has insisted that Baldini would stay, although Sabatini will not make the final call. He said: “He’ll certainly stay. Franco is pivotal, and we don’t want to lose key people.”
