With only 10 days remaining before Roma returns to Serie A action, it seems like the Romaverse is settling back into its old familiar patterns. In the past week alone, we've been privy to absurd transfer rumors (we're looking at you, Nico), injuries, stadium updates and, naturally, front office drama. Yesterday's rumored rift between club owner James Pallotta and Director of Sport Gianluca Petrachi was quickly refuted by club officials, but guess what, it's back!

All that and more in your Sunday swing through the rumor mill.

Roma Deny Row

While there aren't any direct quotes in this piece, RomaPress were quick to work their contacts within the club to discover the truth behind yesterday's rumored rift—that is to say, it never happened.

Take that as you will—it's not as if a team would confirm something so outlandish—but the story persists...

Was Pedro the Match that Lit the Flame?

Not long after yesterday's denial, a new wrinkle to the story emerged: Pedro. The soon to be ex-Chelsea player, long presumed to be a favorite of Roma coach Paulo Fonseca, was reportedly the source of friction between Pallotta and Petrachi. While signing a free agent would seem like a relatively straight forward proposal, Petrachi has reportedly been waylaid by Pallotta's demands to sell before purchasing anyone.

I suspect we'll see another denial of this story at some point soon, but the broader point is concerning: once again the man signing the checks and the man building the team are working at cross purposes.

Without an angel investment of some sort or a dark horse candidate emerging to buy the club, we're heading for a rough summer.

De Sanctis Ready to Step-Up

Back to RomaPress for this one, who pass along a report from Il Tempo that names Morgan De Sanctis as the top candidate to slide into the DS role should Petrachi and Roma part company.

MDS wasn't with Roma long as a player, but he was universally loved and respected, so seeing his name pop up now isn't really a surprise. But if things stay the way they are and Franco Baldini uses his force lightning to influence Pallotta, MDS could merely be one voice of many.

Pau Lopez Back to Premiership

Multiple outlets have jumped on this new rumor. After a pretty solid debut season with Roma, it seems like Pau Lopez has a few new admirers abroad, including Chelsea and his former club, Tottenham Hotspur. Football Italia speculates that Roma could fetch €40 million for Lopez, which, if that were true, it's probably time to say goodbye to Pau.

Florenzi for Muriel Swap

Luis Muriel has been kicking around Serie A for so long now that it was probably only a matter of time before he suited up for Roma. And, according to the Gazzetta dello Sport, the 29-year-old Colombian could make Roma his sixth Serie A club if the rumored swap for Alessandro Florenzi comes to fruition.

Muriel would be a decent stop-gap solution while Roma finds a long-term replacement for Edin Dzeko up top, while Florenzi might actually enjoy life with Atalanta better.

CdT Week in Review

• The week started off on a dour note, as the FIGC announced that Serie A Femminile won't resume for the 2019-2020 season. No title awarded but Juventus and Fiorentina will earn Champions League berths while Napoli and San Marino will be promoted to Serie A.
• The Gazzetta made a despicable George Floyd analogy when discussing Roma's payroll.
• We took a deep dive into Gonzalo Villar's early returns and came away thinking he's a Moneyball dream come true.
• Leonardo Spinazzola has a golden opportunity in this re-start.
• But he's also among a handful of players who risk losing their place with a poor run of form.
• An interesting question was posed this week: why has Nicolo Zaniolo succeeded where Patrik Schick failed at Roma?
• Finally, how will Paulo Fonseca take advantage of having five subs?