ITALIAN CHAMPIONS AS Roma have made a $US 13m bid for Bayern defender Sammy Kuffour and are offering the player a three-year deal.

Italian papers report Roma president Franco Sensi has started talks with Bayern over the phone, and there seems to be some truth in these reports as Kuffour himself has not denied contacts.

While on holiday in his home country Ghana, Kuffour was phoned up by Munich media with the defender insisting he is not ready to make any comments on the matter, saying: "Please understand I can't talk about this now."

Bayern president Franz Beckenbauer also did not deny Roma's interest as he stated: "There is no official bid yet. When holidays are over, the club board and the manager will sit down together and talk about all things that matter."

However, Bayern will not be too keen on selling Kuffour as the 24-year-old was offered a contract extension following his outstanding performances in the Champions League semi-final and final. The player's current contract runs until 2003.