ROME Italian side AS Roma confirmed on Tuesday they were trying to prize Brazilian international midfielder Emerson Ferreira from Bayer Leverkusen. "The two clubs are in contact. Indeed it's fair to say there is more than just contact," a Roma spokesman said. "Emerson is a player Roma have been looking at over the whole summer. The possibility of signing him appeared to have died but now we're in talks again.

It remains to be seen however, if Leverkusen want to sell." The spokesman said a Roma representative was in Germany to talk to Leverkusen officials while Leverkusen sporting director Rudi Voeller, who played for Roma for five seasons from 1987-1992, was in Rome. Voeller was thought to be in Italy primarily to watch Lazio, who travel to Germany to play Leverkusen in a European Champions League match on September 14. But Rome-based newspaper Corriere della Sera said Voeller would also drop in on his old club to discuss the transfer of Emerson, 23, whose previous clubs include Gremio of Porte Alegre in Botofogo of Rio de Janeiro. Emerson has 15 Brazilian caps.

The paper said Roma were willing to pay 40 billion lire ($21.76 million) for the uncompromising defensive midfielder. It said Leverkusen were interested in three Roma second team midfielders Yugoslav Ivan Tomic, Russian Dmitri Alenitchev and Argentine Gustavo Bartelt. (Reuter)