Nicolas Burdisso To Leave Roma?

In the traditional life of a Roma fan, with the highs, come the lows. Fresh off their Coppa Italia quarterfinal victory over Juventus on Tuesday, Roma fans awoke to news that Nicolas Burdisso, one for whom the crest was more than mere garnishment, may be leaving the club.

Burdisso and Motta to Genoa

You'll want to tip your 40 ozs on this one. Roma mad man, club favorite, and de facto third captain, Nicolas Burdisso, appears to be on his way out of Roma. Nico, who joined Roma from Inter Milan in 2009, has made over 100 appearances for the Giallorossi and even scored six goals. Burdisso will be remembered best for his intensity, passion, and dedication to the club. Surely one of the more beloved players of the past decade, even if his resume isn't as sparkling as his Roman contemporaries.

Oh, there's also something about Marco Motta in there....remember him?

Sabatini After San Paolo Defender

If the first link does indeed prove true, Roma has a sudden vacancy at centerback. Not one to waste time, Walter Sabatini has apparently trained his eyes on 24 year old defender Rafael Toloi, presumably to be Nico's nominal replacement. I know nothing about him, but he's relatively young and from America Sud, so you know how that goes.

PSG fail in Pjanic Bid

When you have a player as young and as supremely talented as Miralem Pjanic, warding off the oil barons is just part of the job. PSG's latest foray into the Pjanic market was a tad more interesting, however. To bring Pjanic to the city of lights, the Parisian outfit was willing to part with El Flaco himself, Javier Pastore, plus €5m. While that's certainly enough to give you pause, their respective careers have taken different trajectories since Pastore's move to Paris.

Pastore: "If Roma call me, we will see… they are a wonderful team!"

El Flaco deftly plays the media game in this extremely brief link. I have no doubt that Pastore could right the ship in Rome, but is he worth losing Pjanic? Pastore is a hell of a player, though, so it would be nice for the game in general if he found a proper home.

Bastos Apologises to Lazio Fans

Speaking of media politics, Roma's newest recruit, Michel Bastos, fresh off a public appearance ensconced in a less than flattering Lazio-themed scarf, does the Denial Twist.

No Roma Contact For Ntep

While Marco Borriello remains a Roma player, the search for his eventual replacement continues. One of the more recent names to grace that list is Auxerre forward Paul Georges-Ntep. The 21-year-old French forward has seven goals through sixteen appearances in Ligue 2, which is pretty impressive, regardless of the level of competition. But, if we take his agent at his word, the connection is a mere fabrication.

De Rossi: 'Roma and Juve Level'

When games are this balanced between two great sides, a single goal can be decisive. We focused a great deal on set plays, which was where the goals came from in Turin, and perhaps playing at home made us a little bit more aggressive....I didn’t see Juve looking particularly superior in Turin, nor were we particularly superior here. The two teams are on a similar level and I am pleased to say that.

Some wise words from Roma's resident lumberjack. If Tuesday's match proved nothing else, it was that Roma can hold Juve in check, to the point that, as DDR alludes, the game can and will come down to a single moment.

We'll close this rumor wrap at that, but with the 11th hour of the winter transfer window fast approaching, expect heaps more.