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Napoli chairman implies Roma, Liverpool owners are guilty of collusion

Andrew Powell / Liverpool FC / Getty

Napoli chairman and sound bite savant Aurelio De Laurentiis accused the owners of Roma and Liverpool of collusion, saying that "a little bird has told me a few years ago."

In discussion with La Gazzetta dello Sport, De Laurentiis alleged that Roma owner James Pallotta and his Liverpool counterpart, John Henry, have been complicit in the past.

"I always had a suspicion that the real owner of Roma is the same as Liverpool, and if this were the case, the two clubs should not be allowed to play in the Champions League," De Laurentiis said, per ESPN FC.

UEFA rules prohibit two sides with the same ownership of playing in Europe's marquee tournament. Liverpool topped Roma in the semi-finals of last year's competition before losing to Real Madrid in the final.

Pallotta responded through Roma's official English-language Twitter account on Friday, saying, "What do you think De Laurentiis is smoking over there in Naples? If he finds that little bird again, he'll find out we also own Barca and Bayern."

De Laurentiis' suspicions stem from a pair of recent transfers between Roma and Liverpool, with Napoli missing out on Brazilian shot-stopper Alisson following a €60-million offer.

"I really cannot decipher it," De Laurentiis said. "For example, I would never have sold Alisson even for €100 million."

The Reds eventually secured the goalkeeper's services for a €62.5-million fee, a year after luring reigning PFA Player of the Year Mohamed Salah to Anfield from Roma for €42 million.

Both Pallotta and Henry are based in Boston, with the former purchasing Roma in 2011 as a member of an American investment group that also included Thomas DiBenedetto, a partner at Henry's Fenway Sports Group.

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