AS Roma want Toldo for world record £15 million

Serie A leaders AS Roma have revived their summer bid for Fiorentina goalkeeper Francesco Toldo.

Roma wanted to buy the Italian international after last season but Toldo decided to stay in Florence after Euro 2000 where he was the best goalkeeper on show.

Now Roma - who have a three point lead at the top of Serie A - are prepared to pay £15 million for the highly rated Toldo who is also a target for Arsenal.

It is likely that Toldo will decide to stay in Italy and he was part of initial talks between Roma and Fiorentina about top scorer Gabriel Batistuta.

After a month of talks Batistuta moved to the capital on his own while Toldo went to the Euro finals and Batistuta scored the late winner on Sunday night against his former club to maintain Roma's lead at the top.

There was much speculation over Toldo's future last season and in the summer months when he was close to the end of his current contract with Fiorentina but he agreed a new deal until 2005 to stay in Florence. Fiore owner Vittorio Cecchi Gori then claimed that he had received an amazing £55 million bid for Toldo from an unnamed Spanish club but he did not want to lose Batistuta and Toldo in a short space of time.

Fiorentina are struggling under new coach Fatih Terim with several stars unhappy. Now Toldo knows that a title-winning side is unlikely to be created in the near future by Cecchi Gori.

Roma have used three different goalkeepers - Antonioli, Antonio Chimenti and Cristiano Lupatelli - in their eight Serie A matches this season and coach Fabio Capello wants a top class number one to give his defence stability. The £15 million deal if it goes through would set a new world record for a goalkeeper. The Italian transfer window opens next month when the transfer could take place.