Second potential suitor for Sensi

Italian soccer club Roma has a second potential suitor who could double an existing offer, a lawyer for the controlling family was quoted as saying.

Roma's top shareholder Italpetroli, linked to the Sensi family, said on Friday it had held talks with a representative of a potential investor, but a sale was not imminent.

The statement did not name the potential investor but media reports said representatives of billionaire financier George Soros had met club officials.

The Sensis' lawyer, Gian Roberto De Giovanni, said another party was seriously interested in the club, second in the Italian league and battling for the championship.

"The offer no longer satisfies us, we need time. There is another group that can guarantee us double," he told reporters yesterday.

Reports said Soros's representatives had talked of a bid between 250-300 million euros ($396-475 million).

One report, without quoting sources, said the new suitor was from an Arab country.